Apple presented, on June 6 at its annual WWDC 2022 conference, the new version of the operating system for the iPhone, iOS 16, and the Mac, macOS Ventura. Among the new features included in the updates, a feature will allow users to no longer have to enter CAPTCHA verification code on applications and websites. Used to prove that there is a human behind the device, they will be completed automatically.
An automatic check
CAPTCHAs, from the English acronym Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart, are computer checks intended to differentiate humans from computers. They are used by the vast majority of websites to fight against robots. Very useful for developers to stop fraud attempts, these codes are a brake on the intuitive navigation of Internet users. It’s not uncommon to be interrupted by a hard-to-grasp CAPTCHA that takes several tries to complete. A situation that can generate frustration among users.
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Apple has designed its new feature to make life easier for its customers. From now on, they will be able to authorize iCloud to solve the CAPTCHA codes for them thanks to the Apple ID. ” This feature is a powerful alternative that helps you identify HTTP requests from legitimate devices and people without compromising their identity or personal information. “, explains the Californian company in a video.
Websites can then use Private Access Tokens (PAT), private access tokens, to verify that the person wishing to access their server is indeed human. Apple issues these tokens using iCloud authentication. This verifies actions that are difficult for robots to reproduce, such as unlocking a device using Face ID or browsing Safari. Only the data relating to the PAT will be accessible by the websites, supposed to reinforce the private life of the users.
Thus, people in possession of an iPhone or a Mac will no longer have to struggle to select all the traffic lights or to copy distorted letters to prove that they are indeed human.
Here is an example of CAPTCHA that it is possible to come across while browsing the Internet. Picture: Google.
Towards the end of CAPTCHAs?
For Apple, CAPTCHA codes have many problems. First of all, they harm the experience of users who can be bothered by this cumbersome verification system. Then, they question the privacy of Internet users by keeping the IP addresses of “verified” users in order to offer them simpler codes. Finally, they may not be accessible to people with disabilities.
If the first trace of CAPTCHA dates back to 1996, these are doomed to disappear. Although constantly improved, hackers always find a way around them to achieve their ends. Google has already paid the price when a researcher managed to circumvent the protection of reCAPTCHA v2 by exploiting a feature intended for people with disabilities.
This feature introduced with iOS 16 and macOS Ventura by Apple is a first step towards the end of this verification system. Other companies could also follow the trend of the apple brand, leading to the abandonment of CAPTCHAs.