Re: New verification word files on craigslist.com

  • From: "Rick Harmon" <rharmon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:51:59 -0400

Hi,

It's difficult to understand in order to keep spam bots from using speech 
recognition on them.  The bots in many cases employ very complicated 
measures to stay one step ahead of the sites trying to keep them out.

Rick
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Yardbird" <yardbird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2008 3:02 PM
Subject: Re: New verification word files on craigslist.com


Hi Cal,

People are brining up the same new problem on other lists, too. I don't know
why the audio verification has become difficult to understand, and I haven't
been there and tried to post anything in order to experience this turn of
events.

But, ironic as it may seem, I can tell you that the audio function you're
saying has become impossible to deal with is itself an accommodation
provided after a lot of encouragement or harassment by Craig's List to
augment the visual one, precisely for the sake of people like us who are
using screen reader.

The feature is called a CAPTCHA, and maybe someone else on the list who
remembers can explain what the words are that make up this acronym. But the
main thing is that the video version of something like this, intended to
block non-human programmed attempts to sign up for things and/or distribute
spam emails, is not accessible to a screen reader because the characters in
that box aren't HTML text that something like Jaws is designed to read.
They're graphically generated, and if you were to see them, they'd look all
wavy and lumpy and slanted, precisely so that the automated visitors called
bots (for robot thingies, sort of) can't interpret them. That's why it's a
good and accessibility-minded site that employs the audio alternative.

So that's the background. Which doesn't solve this new problem, of course.
What exactly is the difficulty about? Is the audio slurred, too soft, too
fast, or what?

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cal" <yesitscal@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2008 11:18 AM
Subject: New verification word files on craigslist.com


I just tried to post some stuff on CL and was unable to because they changed
their verification word audio to something which, at least for me, is
completely impossible to understand.  Why can't JAWS pick up the printed
verification words.  Any suggestions on working around this process?

--
JFW related links:
JFW homepage: http://www.freedomscientific.com/
Scripting mailing list: 
http://lists.the-jdh.com/listinfo.cgi/scriptography-the-jdh.com
JFW List instructions:
To post a message to the list, send it to jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send a message to 
jfw-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line.
Archives located at: //www.freelists.org/archives/jfw

If you have any concerns about the list, post received from the list, or the 
way the list is being run, do not post them to the list. Rather contact the 
list owner at jfw-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

--
JFW related links:
JFW homepage: http://www.freedomscientific.com/
Scripting mailing list: 
http://lists.the-jdh.com/listinfo.cgi/scriptography-the-jdh.com
JFW List instructions:
To post a message to the list, send it to jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send a message to 
jfw-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line.
Archives located at: //www.freelists.org/archives/jfw

If you have any concerns about the list, post received from the list, or the 
way the list is being run, do not post them to the list. Rather contact the 
list owner at jfw-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Other related posts: