A CAPTCHA is a challenge-response test that was originally created to ensure that the response given was from a human rather than from a computer. A common type of CAPTCHA requires that the user type letters or digits from a distorted image that appears on the screen. There are accessible alternatives to CAPTCHAs for people who are blind or vision impaired, such as audible CAPTCHA or a new CAPTCHA solution that asks you to slide an icon across the screen with either the mouse or keyboard
Facebook’s social CAPTCHA patent would use your social network connections to create challenge-response tests. The idea behind this is that if a hacker obtains access to your Facebook account, they would not know the answers to the social CAPTCHA questions.
Examples of social CAPTCHAs taken from the patent are:
- You are shown a picture of one of your Facebook friends and must enter their name.
- You are given the name of one of your Facebook friends and have to select a picture that they are in.
Both these examples require identification of a person from a picture. If the social CAPTCHA system was used in Facebook, it would become inaccessible to those who are blind or vision impaired.
The Social Media Review from Media Access Australia identified Facebook as having made great efforts to include a wealth of accessibility features, and as being a good choice for people with disabilities. It is hoped that Facebook will seriously consider the access implications before implementing the social CAPTCHA system to maintain its good record in this area.
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