Recognizing stairs, traffic lights and fire hydrants may soon be a thing of the past. The Internet is flooded with advanced AI bots that solve traditional picture puzzles in a split second. That's why Google is coming up with a radical solution: if you want to prove you're not a robot, you'll have to show your hand to the camera. A new feature within the reCAPTCHA system is causing huge discussions on the Internet. How exactly does this controversial verification work?
When you encounter a new security update on a website, the browser will ask you to access your webcam or front-facing camera. You will then perform a simple hand gesture. The system will quickly extract 21 key points on a human hand (primarily joints and finger positions) from a short video. Based on the movement trajectory, the algorithm will recognize whether it is a real person, a static image or an AI animation.
The idea of having to turn on your camera for a simple login scares many users and cybersecurity experts. Google is therefore trying to alleviate concerns and guarantees strict rules in its official documentation. The system does not record any audio during verification. The video recording is deleted immediately after the test is completed and is not stored anywhere. Hand movement data is not linked to your identity in any way. For users without a camera or those with specific disabilities, classic text or audio alternatives will still be available. Nevertheless, a debate immediately flared up on social networks about whether this is too much of an invasion of privacy. Would you trust this new biometric verification, or would you rather leave the site?
