I wonder how long it will take some script kiddies to decode the picture image and type back the proper response? Kinda like a mini OCR to extract the real meaning and type it back. Then what good did that tool do to help yahoo? I got a feeling that process adversely impacts more people than it does to stop. On Thu, 24 Jan 2002, Amanda Lee wrote: > Yes, absolutely, they have just slapped a big ole bandaid on top of a > festering wound! Until they deal with root cause, those who really want > to rain on their parade will continue to make live difficult. I'm not > certain they can stop spammers but YOu'd think they'd have sense enough to > prevent no more than so many registrations from one IP address in a given > period of time for more than just spam. Of course a more cumbersome > acknowledgement process may help those spammers who will happily automate > anything if they want it that badly! I'm certain that many many other > measures are possible if anybody with S**! for brains puts some gray > matter to use! > > Amanda Lee > > > > On Thu, 24 Jan 2002, David Poehlman wrote: > > > how much has it actually cut down on spam? the bots could still collect > > the addresses and some humans can still crank out sign ups quickly so > > the spam truck keeps delivering. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Amanda Lee" <amanda at shellworld.net> > > To: <speakup at braille.uwo.ca> > > Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2002 1:12 PM > > Subject: Re: Off-topic: Yahoo registration inaccessible to all blind > > users > > > > > > Yes I do however, I still can think of other methods for avoiding this > > sort of thing and to deny persons who are print disabled access is still > > absolute stupidity and I won't back down on this. Have these idiots > > ever > > heard of setting up limits? Have they heard of limiting the number of > > access, number of registrations, I probably could type in pages here. > > They are really being very short-sighted as to dealing with the real > > problem and so their solution is to barr everyone when I'd say that only > > a > > few created this situation in the first place. > > > > I feel their pain but I bet you this won't stop abuse. > > > > Amanda Lee > > > > > > > > On Thu, 24 Jan 2002, Victor Tsaran wrote: > > > > > 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 at shellworld.net> > > > 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 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > 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 >
