(WYTV) – Chances are that when you want to open a certain website on your computer you see a little box to check that says I am not a robot.
It’s called the CAPTCHA test, and it’s supposed to prevent automated bots from flooding these websites and online services.
CAPTCHA stands for “Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart.”
It’s simple, you just check the box to prove you’re a human, but there’s more to it than that.
When you click the box, here’s what happens. The test is keeping track of you moving your mouse around the screen.
Human hands can be shaky and our path irregular. Bots usually move straight and true, right to their targets.
The test has been looking at your browsing history, how long you’ve been on the page, how you scrolled and the clicks you made. It all helps to identify you as human.
The test has also been looking for cookies in your browser, small pieces of data some websites will leave with you.
Humans may have many different cookies from different websites. Bots typically have very few or none at all.
If the test determines you’re really a human, you can visit the website you want. But if it’s still suspicious, it may send you new challenges. You might have to solve a puzzle or identify certain objects.
In the end, CAPTCHA knows.
