Amanda, it is not only about mailing lists. It also has to do with the fact that several "bad people" decided to perform, say, 1000 automatic registrations at a time. They would like to register 1000 Email accounts on Yahoo. Do you see any implications? Victor ----- Original Message ----- From: "Amanda Lee" <amanda@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <speakup at braille.uwo.ca> Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2002 9:25 PM Subject: Re: Off-topic: Yahoo registration inaccessible to all blind users > A text only interface of course! Wonder how they are serving Wireless > Phone and PDA users? These devices typically can't handle a lot of high > resolution graphics and junk! Bessides, what the hell! is so damn! secure > about a stupid email list? If the FBI wants an Email list I daresay > they're not going to go to Yahoo dot bomb to get one. This is just a > stupid excuse for not wanting to think in any different direction than > stupidity. Many sites have secure and not secured options for doing > anything from ordering merchandise to signing up for newsletters. > > Amanda Lee > > > > On Wed, 23 Jan 2002, Victor Tsaran wrote: > > > What would you suggest instead of just complaining? > > Best, > > Vic > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Steve Holmes" <steve at holmesgrown.com> > > To: <speakup at braille.uwo.ca> > > Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2002 7:01 PM > > Subject: Re: Off-topic: Yahoo registration inaccessible to all blind users > > > > > > > That's our whole point! If this kind of shit is used with Yahoo, what's to > > > stop other services from using that garbage in the name of tighter > > > security? It reminds me of some products introduced some years back that > > > would play some kind of hand-eye cordination game with the user to prove > > > it is who he says he is to connect to the local dial-up network at work. > > > thank God, this stuff was never implemented at my work but they did talk > > > about it briefly til I talked them out of it. > > > > > > A web site or application should *NEVER* *NEVER* use bit mapped text that > > > cannot be read by any adaptive screen reader products! The only good > > > thing about that crap was those banner ads we could never read. We didn't > > > see them nor hear them so they didn't bother us and we never clicked > > > them:). > > > > > > On Wed, 23 Jan 2002, Victor Tsaran wrote: > > > > > > > Hi, > > > > There is really nothing Yahoo can do for you in this case. Unless you > > have > > > > some ideas on how the subscription process can be changed, send your > > > > suggestion to them. From the programming point of view, there is nothing > > > > they can do to better the situation. I know it sounds harsh, but there > > is > > > > not much else to say. No kind of alt tag or picture description can be > > > > employed to make the "word" accessible. > > > > Vic > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > > From: "Geoff Shang" <gshang at uq.net.au> > > > > To: <blindcast at yahoogroups.com>; <speakup at braille.uwo.ca>; > > > > <acbri-forum at acbradio.org> > > > > Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2002 12:23 PM > > > > Subject: Off-topic: Yahoo registration inaccessible to all blind users > > > > > > > > > > > > > Hi: > > > > > > > > > > This is blatently off-topic. If you're not interested, hit delete. > > I'd > > > > > suggest not discussing it on list unless the moderator deems it > > on-topic, > > > > > but that's obviously not for me to say. If you care at all, please > > feel > > > > > free to spread this around. > > > > > > > > > > It is apparently now impossible for a blind or low vision person to > > > > > independantly register with yahoogroups, no matter what browser they > > are > > > > > using. Yahoogroups has implemented a security feature to stop > > automated > > > > > programs from spuriously registering yahoo accounts. Unfortunately, > > it's > > > > > preventing blind people from registering also ... and they know it. > > > > > > > > > > What they've done is to implement a system where a word is printed on > > the > > > > > screen as a graphic. You have to correctly enter this word into the > > > > > sign-up form before you can register. This is meant to prove that > > it's a > > > > > human doing the registration, but all it does prove is that it's a > > sighted > > > > > person able to read print that's doing the registration. They have a > > link > > > > > to click if you can't see the word, and this is what that page says: > > > > > > > > > > What is Word Verification? > > > > > Visually impaired or blind users: We can help you register. So that > > a > > > > > customer care representative can contact you, please provide your > > > > > phone number in addition to your required email address when you > > > > > contact us by pasting this URL into your browser: > > > > > http://add.yahoo.com/fast/help/us/edit/cgi_access > > > > > By entering the word you see in the box, you help Yahoo! prevent > > > > > automated registrations. Doing this reduces system loads and > > ensures > > > > > better performance of Yahoo! services. > > > > > > > > > > If no image appears, please make sure your browser is set to > > display > > > > > images and try again. If you are not sure what the word is, make > > your > > > > > best guess. If you guess incorrectly, you will have an opportunity > > to > > > > > enter a different word on the next screen. > > > > > > > > > > This is pretty damning. They are conceeding that they know it's > > > > > inaccessibal to blind people and expect me as a blind person to hand > > over > > > > > my phone number so that they can walk me through the registration > > process. > > > > > Quite aside from the fact that I do not want to give out my phone > > number, > > > > > I'm highly doubtful that someone's going to spare the international > > > > expence > > > > > to call me in Australia. And even if someone from Yahoo Australia > > calls > > > > > me, what if I live somewhere where there is no local yahoo branch? > > > > someone > > > > > will still have to call me, and I wonder how bothered they'll be to do > > > > > that? > > > > > > > > > > So what to do? Firstly, give yahoo a hard time about it, both the > > main > > > > > yahoo in the USA and any local affiliates (e.g. yahoo UK, yahoo Japan, > > > > > yahoo Australia, etc). I'd suggest boycotting them altogether, but I > > > > > realise that's not always possible. I'd also urge any group > > moderators to > > > > > stop using any of the features requiring a yahoo ID until this is > > > > resolved. > > > > > If you're a member of a yahoo group, ask your list moderator not to > > use > > > > any > > > > > of these features, as you as a blind person won't be able to access > > them. > > > > > > > > > > The yahoo signup page also says that the word verification technology > > was > > > > > developed in conjunction with the Captcha project (note the spelling) > > at > > > > > Carnegie Mellon University. So I think we should give these people a > > hard > > > > > time too. > > > > > > > > > > Geoff. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > Speakup mailing list > > > > > Speakup at braille.uwo.ca > > > > > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Speakup mailing list > > > > Speakup at braille.uwo.ca > > > > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Speakup mailing list > > > Speakup at braille.uwo.ca > > > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Speakup mailing list > > Speakup at braille.uwo.ca > > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Speakup mailing list > Speakup at braille.uwo.ca > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup > >
