Can We Please Get a New Captcha?

August 15, 2023

Please...I'm begging for a new type of captcha on the pages with a coordinate checker. The current one simply doesn't know that I do, in fact, know what a bus is, or a bicycle, or a mountain. I've often had to go through about 8 different pictures before I finally get lucky and it lets me through. Even a simple one like the kind that just asks for a simple math answer would be much better than this one. Or, better yet, just get rid of it altogether?

4.5k · August 16, 2023

Yes please. Profanity goes up exponentially with each extra challenge.

e^8 gets pretty loud.

- A customer.

9.1k · August 16, 2023

Are you toggling each quadrant that has even a few pixels of the object needing to be identified? The image selection blocks is a fairly standard captcha variant these days.

August 16, 2023

YES PLEASE!!!!

I regularly have to go to 8+. It doesn't seem to make a difference whether I tick just the main parts of a bicycle or every square with bits in it.

Puzzle D1, checker D5 or more.

2.1k · August 21, 2023

Yes, same problem. So many capchas despite thinking I got every single pixel.

September 1, 2023

From the service provided it states that reCapcha is used against fraudulent use. Quote: 'A seamless fraud detection service that stops bots and other automated attacks while approving valid users.' On Geocaching you can only access a page if you are a registered member. So i can't imagine any bots or anybody else messing with attempts to check if the coordinates i think as correct are put in the solution checker. At the moment it is nearly impossible to get a quick check. Especially if you have a trail of mysteries. If i get a quick one, or maybe two, the next will annoy so much I just quit the trail.

I there has to be an extra step, I have noticed a much friendlier one. See picture attached. You have to click on pictures in the right order. A much faster way to get through it.

3.1k · September 2, 2023

17 hours ago, HaSiYoTi said:

On Geocaching you can only access a page if you are a registered member. So i can't imagine any bots or anybody else messing with attempts to check if the coordinates i think as correct are put in the solution checker.

I know many registered users who would use a bot if it is possible.

October 3, 2023

I am also starting to get more and more annoyed with the recaptcha. Once is fine, but more and more you have to solve more and more pictures. When using a checker once or twice, that's no problem. But with, say, a trail, meanwhile, it takes more time to get the checker to check than solving a 250-piece jigsaw puzzle. In a manner of speaking.

I don't understand it either; when logging in, I already have to solve 1. Proving that I am not a robot. Then why for each separate checker again?
That there are people who would like to use a bot may be. But they will find a way around it anyway.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

October 4, 2023

Same thing for me, when I have to solve a series of mysteries, on the 8th or 9th resolution, the captcha is displayed and sometimes it takes 4-5 tries even though the selection is good.
There should be a condition for this captcha not to be displayed, for example, if you're a premium user or if your account displays 500+ caches or, depending on how long you've had the account, an option to tick in your profile (after a certain number of found it). Really tiresome on series like geoart.

Edited October 4, 2023 by OliLesp

6.2k · October 4, 2023

I very rarely get the photo Captcha when checking co-ords so not a big problem for me.

I'm wondering why I don't get challenged when other do, is it likely to be due to which cookies we're accepting from GC?

The photo challenge is invoked when clicking the "I am not a robot" box either fails or is inconclusive, I know that this box isn't just asking a question - it performs checks against various things in your session activity so could it be the way that different people check this box or run their sessions that is triggering the pictures more for some than others.

If we knew what scenario(s) cause the photo challenge to be invoked then it might be simple to change something on your setups to make it less frequent and therefore less painful.

October 4, 2023

1 hour ago, MartyBartfast said:

If we knew what scenario(s) cause the photo challenge to be invoked then it might be simple to change something on your setups to make it less frequent and therefore less painful.

If you knew that, you could make a loooooot of money selling the method to scammers/hackers on the dark web. Captcha-bypassing is valuable stuff.

What I find interesting is that, if coordinates are checked via the API, there is still a 10 tries per 10 minutes limit, but there is no Captcha. That is, the method that is objectively easier to automate does not perform any bot checks. Why?

6.2k · October 4, 2023

24 minutes ago, Hügh said:

If you knew that, you could make a loooooot of money selling the method to scammers/hackers on the dark web. Captcha-bypassing is valuable stuff.

Not really, I'm not talking about any deep analysis of the tool, but there's clearly some usage difference between me, and those who keep getting the pictures and it shouldn't be that difficult for someone to work out what features trigger it by flipping normal controls or tweaking the way they interact with the site. E.G. if these folks don't allow any cookies from GC then they could enable cookies as a trial and see what changes.

An example in reverse is I just opened the site in a "Private" browser tab, and I then get challenged, sign in in a "normal" tab and I don't get challenged - I doubt that will be a revalation to anyone trying to crack the captchas and if it is I'll happily take the ££££.

Taking this into consideration a bit of research into what the Private tab restricts, and consider whether the OP has any additional security features turned on to restrict some similar functions would be worthwhile.

If I was having this problem I would try things like this in sequence to see if I can find one which produces fewer challenges:
Dont use a private tab

Accept all cookies

Disable any ad blockers

disable any script blockers

disable any additional security features in the browser.

bypass your VPN if you use one

...

All temporarily while investigating and then put them back, if I found one feature which was causing the additional challenges then I'd look into whether GC can be whitelisted somehow in that feature.

October 4, 2023

7 hours ago, MartyBartfast said:

I very rarely get the photo Captcha when checking co-ords so not a big problem for me.

I'm wondering why I don't get challenged when other do, is it likely to be due to which cookies we're accepting from GC?

The Captchas only appear (to me) when I solve a whole series of puzzles.

It obviously shows up when I check more than 10 (?) different caches in a row and *not only* when I check a single cache more than 10 (?) times.
In order to avoid a brute force attack, it would actually be enough to check the latter.

1.4k · October 4, 2023

2 hours ago, RCH65 said:

It obviously shows up when I check more than 10 (?) different caches in a row and *not only* when I check a single cache more than 10 (?) times.
In order to avoid a brute force attack, it would actually be enough to check the latter.

Yes, and that is indeed the big problem with the built-in checker. All the popular external checkers impose penalties (e.g. no more tries for x minutes) only when you guess wrong. As long as you only get "green", you check away all day long.

1.8k · October 5, 2023

18 hours ago, MartyBartfast said:

I very rarely get the photo Captcha when checking co-ords so not a big problem for me.

I'm wondering why I don't get challenged when other do

11 hours ago, RCH65 said:

The Captchas only appear (to me) when I solve a whole series of puzzles.

It obviously shows up when I check more than 10 (?) different caches in a row

This has been my experience. I was solving a couple of geoart series a few months ago, and although I didn't actually count the # of attempts, or # of caches checked, it seemed to be about every 10 attempts or so I would get the Captcha photo test. One was a W3W series, the other multiple choice/True-False answers, so I would do 5 or so on one series, switch to the other for 5 or so, then back and forth and the Captcha didn't seem to pop up as often, or I got weary of the checker/solving first and came back another day to continue....yeah, they were mindless solves to the puzzles, a lot of copy/paste and not much puzzle solving. But a series of caches to find along trails that was fun to hike with cacher friends and muggle friends once the puzzle pieces were all on the map!

I prefer to use Certitudes instead of the built in checker - more options (keyword as well as coordinates among others) for me, the puzzle creator, and I like the experience as a puzzle solver as well.

October 20, 2023

Me...still begging...

I get the captcha literally every time I do a coordinate check. It used to only appear after doing several checks on different caches. Now it's every single one and most of the time I have to solve 4+ captchas.

Please, HQ, change this.

1.7k · October 22, 2023

Wholly Smokes! Be careful what you ask for - I just saw what's being floated for the new generation of 'Captcha' tech given the advancements in AI image processing, and it's truly extreme.

There are several types of anti-bot verification tools in the works, including some that occur in the background and present no interaction with the person at the keyboard, but some will make you tearfully pine for the days of "Which Images Have Bicycles."

3.1k · October 22, 2023

On 10/21/2023 at 1:42 AM, C3GPS said:

Now it's every single one and most of the time I have to solve 4+ captchas.

You’re getting CAPTCHA on multiple times because your online traffic behavior resembles unsafe bots.

That could include the following reasons:

Your computer is infected with viruses or malware.
Someone else on your network is running a bot or script.
You’re using a virtual private network or proxy to hide your IP address.
Your computer has received an IP address that was previously used in an attack.
You’re using browser add-ons for security, privacy, or SEO that alter your browser’s normal behavior.
You have not accepted cookies or you have deleted them.

4.5k · October 22, 2023

I don't usually get challenged. I go straight to the checker.

October 22, 2023

I very rarely get anything other than a straight tick and this includes other websites which use the same captcha. I would hate this to be changed so that I get challenged more often!

October 23, 2023

2 hours ago, The Haywood Hornet said:

I very rarely get anything other than a straight tick and this includes other websites which use the same captcha. I would hate this to be changed so that I get challenged more often!

I'd rather just not get challenged at all. Just leave it at the 10 attempts per 10 minutes or something similar.

October 23, 2023

3 hours ago, arisoft said:

You’re getting CAPTCHA on multiple times because your online traffic behavior resembles unsafe bots.

That could include the following reasons:

Your computer is infected with viruses or malware.

Someone else on your network is running a bot or script.

You’re using a virtual private network or proxy to hide your IP address.

Your computer has received an IP address that was previously used in an attack.

You’re using browser add-ons for security, privacy, or SEO that alter your browser’s normal behavior.

You have not accepted cookies or you have deleted them.

No virus

No one else on my computer or network

No VPN

IP Address previously used I suppose is possible but it wasn't from me. I just got a new internet provider.

Nearly everyone uses browser add ons for security or privacy. In my case I use AdBlock

Accepting cookies for the site doesn't tend to work anyway. For example, the site constantly asks me if I no longer want to be reminded when I click a link in a description that takes me to an alternate site. I check the box to not ask again, it asks again the very next time.

Perhaps Groundspeak could put our current IP address on a whitelist when X number of successful challenges have been achieved. Then stop challenging from that IP address.

6.2k · October 23, 2023

6 hours ago, C3GPS said:

Perhaps Groundspeak could put our current IP address on a whitelist when X number of successful challenges have been achieved. Then stop challenging from that IP address.

So then you successfully complete the captcha a few times, get put on the whitelist and then fire up your bot to start brute forcing the corrected co-ords unchallenged?!?!?
They're not gonna do that.

Considering the responses on here showing that most people only occasionally see the captcha but you get it all the time there's definitely something in your setup/usage which is triggering it so really you need to sort it out your end.

October 23, 2023

15 hours ago, MartyBartfast said:

So then you successfully complete the captcha a few times, get put on the whitelist and then fire up your bot to start brute forcing the corrected co-ords unchallenged?!?!?
They're not gonna do that.

Considering the responses on here showing that most people only occasionally see the captcha but you get it all the time there's definitely something in your setup/usage which is triggering it so really you need to sort it out your end.

How many times I get it is not the point. The point is that A: it's annoying. They already have a 10 tries in 10 minutes limit so just let that be it; and/or B: Even when the correct boxes are chosen, the checker fails.

Ultimately, if they want a checker that's fine, I get it. Just change it to one that people don't need to repeat 4-8 times just to get by. You'll notice that the title of the thread is to ask for a new captcha, not eliminate captcha.

3.1k · October 24, 2023

23 hours ago, C3GPS said:

Accepting cookies for the site doesn't tend to work anyway. For example, the site constantly asks me if I no longer want to be reminded when I click a link in a description that takes me to an alternate site. I check the box to not ask again, it asks again the very next time.

Start by fixing this problem first, if it ask's it on the same link on the same page again. I just tested that the check box works when I click the same link again.

October 24, 2023

22 hours ago, arisoft said:

Start by fixing this problem first, if it ask's it on the same link on the same page again. I just tested that the check box works when I click the same link again.

Fixing this problem isn't the point of this thread. I really don't care about this minor problem enough to spend any time fixing it. I'd rather just not spend my time going through 8 captcha's just to check one corrected coordinate, which multiple people have also agreed with.

7.1k · October 24, 2023

I don't recall the checker Captcha ever asking me to count squares containing bicycles, or whatever. I just click on the I'm not a robot box:

image.png.e0a77175f6f30c99c3bea61746d39c71.png

It then just twirls for a second or so and gives me the green tick.

image.png.0981b53feea6c2279f9e07dc04906c56.png

I'm running Firefox on my Windows 10 home PC with a fixed line internet connection (dynamic IP address though), but it's the same when I've been using my laptop in the field using a hot-spot internet connection through my phone.

11.6k · October 24, 2023

9 minutes ago, barefootjeff said:

I'm running Firefox on my Windows 10 home PC

Same, but I still have to mark the squares with the street lights and bicycles, yada yada.

9.1k · October 25, 2023

13 hours ago, barefootjeff said:

I don't recall the checker Captcha ever asking me to count squares containing bicycles, or whatever. I just click on the I'm not a robot box:

It then just twirls for a second or so and gives me the green tick.

Yes, sometimes that's all that's needed, sometimes it pops up with the secondary verification task. That's not just on GC, that's fairly standard any place with the "I'm not a robot" captcha. I think their algorithm on the back end (captcha's) makes the determination as to whether the task popup is required or not. If it's popping up every time, then it must be thinking that the user has a high 'spam' score, as it were, and must verify humanness. (and who knows what factors all contribute to their algorithm thinking you're not human any particular time the captcha test is loaded)

There could also be a touch of randomness involved. Like ticket-checkers on some rail transit. You can get on without a ticket, but if you're asked to show your ticket you could get fined hefty without one. ... check the box to say you're human. But if you get checked with the task, you'd better be human or you get zero access.

Edited October 25, 2023 by thebruce0

3.1k · October 25, 2023

16 hours ago, C3GPS said:

Fixing this problem isn't the point of this thread.

How do you know if you don't even try? The root cause is propably the same for both problems.

6.2k · October 25, 2023

On 10/23/2023 at 11:59 PM, C3GPS said:

...They already have a 10 tries in 10 minutes limit so just let that be it;

So then you write a bot which tries 10 times, waits 10 minutes before trying again, leave it running in the background for a week and you're done. That's not gonna happen.

On 10/23/2023 at 11:59 PM, C3GPS said:

Just change it to one that people don't need to repeat 4-8 times just to get by. You'll notice that the title of the thread is to ask for a new captcha, not eliminate captcha.

I hardly ever need to repeat the captcha so I'm happy with it! Last week I was entering the solution to about 30 caches in quick succession and I got the picture captcha about 3 times and once had to have 2 goes at it and that stood out for me because it's a very rare occurrence, so for me the current solution works very well - the vast majority of the time ticking the box is all that's required.

If you're getting the picture captcha all the time and having to go through more than 4 pictures (which has NEVER happened to me on any site, anywhere), then it's something about your usage/setup that's making it see you as suspicious and you need to address it at your end, both Arisoft and I have suggested some things you can try.

BTW the way these captchas work is a bit of a trade secret, I've seen it speculated in some places that clicking on the correct pictures containing traffic lights etc. is only a minor part of what's going on, it's also measuring your mouse activity (and maybe other stuff) while doing the clicking, therefore if the thing that prevents it tracking you when you click the "I am not a robot" box is still there when you're clicking on the pictures of traffic lights then it doesn't matter if you click on all the pictures, it will still think you're suspicious and make you have another go.

2k · October 25, 2023

Quote

Ultimately, if they want a checker that's fine, I get it. Just change it to one that people don't need to repeat 4-8 times just to get by. You'll notice that the title of the thread is to ask for a new captcha, not eliminate captcha.

Let’s assume, you are getting a new captcha, how do you know that this will work for you? If you still have similar problems, you start this thread over again?

October 25, 2023

3 hours ago, Mausebiber said:

Let’s assume, you are getting a new captcha, how do you know that this will work for you? If you still have similar problems, you start this thread over again?

Because I have the same issue with this type of captcha on other websites. However, I never have to do a captcha more than once with literally every other type of captcha. And, if you read the thread, I'm not the only one with the problem. There are plenty of other captchas out there that are simple to use and this particular one has always been the most annoying of the lot. So, if someone doesn't have to do it often so they're "happy" with it, then what's the problem with switching? They'll still be happy and those of us that hate this one will also hopefully be happy.

3.1k · October 26, 2023

18 hours ago, C3GPS said:

Because I have the same issue with this type of captcha on other websites.

In this case you are tilting at windmills. Your enemy lies inside your computer and replacing captcha in this service will not affect to others. The most effective way is to fix the root cause. For some reason captcha is not trusting your computer. Start by Googling "too many captchas" and you will get ideas how to fix your computer.

June 13, 2024

I just went through 11 Captcha screens to finally get cleared to check coordinates on a cache. This was for the 20th cache in a geo-art (so there might have been 19 previous indications that I was potentially human.) Surely, there is a way to "remember" that I am not a bot. Surely, there is a better process. Surely, there is a setting on Groundspeak's (the customer) that can determine the threshhold. This random approach to the number of Captcha screen - which has varied from 0 to 11 in these geo-art caches - is annoying. I have never encountered this many screens on another site.

Can We Please Get a New Captcha?

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