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Verifying you are human

Techwright

By Techwright
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Techwright

Techwright

Posted
Posted (edited)

Normally, I notice this when I click the link to go to the unofficial wiki, but I noticed it today when signing into the forums after clearing cache.

 

The "verifying you are human" message came up, ran a bit of animated graphics, seemed satisfied, and let me in.  My camera and mike are disconnected, and I offered no input.  So...what is it really doing to "verify"?

 

(Yes, I know my handle is "Techwright".  I don't know all of IT.  I have a very particular set of skills.)

 

 

I'd recently learned that a lot of those verification hoops we had to jump through on other websites, you know the ones where you're supposed to pick out all the pictures with a traffic light, bus, bicycle, nuclear weapon, etc., were actually about training A.I. using humans as unwitting teachers, rather than about true security.  I'm not saying this is the same, but with no interaction, I find it curious.

 

 

Edited by Techwright
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Ironblade

Ironblade

Posted
Posted

I always wondered about that.  Maybe it's comparing your IP address against a blacklist of known bot farms?

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Originally on Infinity.  I have Ironblade on every shard.  -  My only AE arc:  The Origin of Mark IV  (ID 48002)

Link to the story of Toggle Man, since I keep having to track down my original post.

Psyonico

Psyonico

Posted
Posted

It definitely checks your IP and a few other settings on your device.  I used a privacy focused OS and browser for a bit and I got that pop up every single time I came here.  Most of the time I also had to "click to verify you are human".

 

All of that is done by the DNS provider though, not by Homecoming.  It says cloudflare on that page. 

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What this team needs is more Defenders

Ukase

Ukase

Posted
Posted (edited)

From what I gather, Michiyo had a lot of problems with "bot scraping"? or something to do with bots. I have to click a check box. It only slows me down about 10 seconds, so for free information, organized in a manner in which I can find, I'm not gonna complain. (And I say that assuming you're referring to the HC Wiki as the unofficial wiki.) 

Edited by Ukase
Punctuation
  • Like 1
Luminara

Luminara

Posted
Posted

It's an analysis of the use of the computer.  When you click the checkbox, you have to move the mouse or use the keyboard to navigate the pointer to the box and interact with it.  The fact that you do that, and that you have human response times and pointer motions, is what tells the security software that the user is a person, not automation.  Other metrics are compared (IP address, accessible tracking info like cookies, the usual stuff), and the software collates the results to reach a conclusion.

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Get busy living... or get busy dying.  That's goddamn right.

WanderingAries

WanderingAries

Posted
Posted

 

 

 

OG Server: Pinnacle  <||>  Current Primary Server: Torchbearer  ||  Also found on the others if desired  <||> Generally Inactive

Installing CoX:  Windows  ||  MacOS  ||  MacOS for M1  <||>  Migrating Data from an Older Installation

Clubs: Mid's Hero Designer  ||  PC Builders  ||  HC Wiki  ||  Jerk Hackers

Old Forums  <||>  Titan Network  <||>  Heroica! (by @Shenanigunner)

 

WanderingAries

WanderingAries

Posted
Posted

giphy.gif

  • Like 3
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OG Server: Pinnacle  <||>  Current Primary Server: Torchbearer  ||  Also found on the others if desired  <||> Generally Inactive

Installing CoX:  Windows  ||  MacOS  ||  MacOS for M1  <||>  Migrating Data from an Older Installation

Clubs: Mid's Hero Designer  ||  PC Builders  ||  HC Wiki  ||  Jerk Hackers

Old Forums  <||>  Titan Network  <||>  Heroica! (by @Shenanigunner)

 

UltraAlt

UltraAlt

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, golstat2003 said:

Also, and what if you are a robot and AI that can pass the test? What then?

 

 

  • Haha 1

If someone posts a reply quoting me and I don't reply, they may be on ignore.

(It seems I'm involved with so much at this point that I may not be able to easily retrieve access to all the notifications)

Some players know that I have them on ignore and are likely to make posts knowing that is the case.

But the fact that I have them on ignore won't stop some of them from bullying and harassing people, because some of them love to do it. There is a group that have banded together to target forum posters they don't like. They think that this behavior is acceptable.

Ignore (in the forums) and /ignore (in-game) are tools to improve your gaming experience. Don't feel bad about using them.

Snarky

Snarky

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, golstat2003 said:

Also, and what if you are a robot and AI that can pass the test? What then? 

 

☺️

Then Dr Turing will be ecstatic 

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Skyhawke

Skyhawke

Posted
Posted

I think this thread sheds some light on why they're checking for humans.

 

 

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Sky-Hawke: Rad/WP Brute

Alts galore. So...soooo many alts.

Originally Pinnacle Server, then Indomitable and now Excelsior

WanderingAries

WanderingAries

Posted
Posted (edited)
17 hours ago, UltraAlt said:

 

 

Then you better get your skinjob, Cylon toaster butt outta here for frak sake!

Edited by WanderingAries
  • Haha 1
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OG Server: Pinnacle  <||>  Current Primary Server: Torchbearer  ||  Also found on the others if desired  <||> Generally Inactive

Installing CoX:  Windows  ||  MacOS  ||  MacOS for M1  <||>  Migrating Data from an Older Installation

Clubs: Mid's Hero Designer  ||  PC Builders  ||  HC Wiki  ||  Jerk Hackers

Old Forums  <||>  Titan Network  <||>  Heroica! (by @Shenanigunner)

 

catsi563

catsi563

Posted
Posted

pfft human 

 

I am clearly a cat

 

you may worship me now

 

Silly Black Cat Photograph by Sandy DeLuca - Fine Art America

  • Finland 1

My Dear you deserve the services of a great wizard but youll have to settle for the aid of a second rate pick pocket

~Schmendrick

 

So you mean you'll put down your rock, and I'll put down my sword; and we'll try and kill each other like civilized people?

mechahamham

mechahamham

Posted
Posted
On 9/24/2025 at 2:38 AM, Luminara said:

It's an analysis of the use of the computer.  When you click the checkbox, you have to move the mouse or use the keyboard to navigate the pointer to the box and interact with it.  The fact that you do that, and that you have human response times and pointer motions, is what tells the security software that the user is a person, not automation.  Other metrics are compared (IP address, accessible tracking info like cookies, the usual stuff), and the software collates the results to reach a conclusion.

 

Luminara has the long and short of it. If you move your cursor at exactly a 90 degree angle, you might be a robot and are then asked to find which squares contain traffic lights, except for that one square that's got just a sliver of the top of one traffic light fixture that's just black metal and not actually got any light to it at all.

 

If you use privacy features at all, these checks tend to fail more often. I use a fork of Firefox called Librewolf that's basically just got all the 'easy fingerprinting' stuff turned off by default and some adblock stuff preinstalled. Since Cloudflare and the other captcha providers sometimes use those features to try to figure out if you're a scraper bot or not, I get lumped into the robot category more often that I'd like. Discord, for example, simply won't let me log in unless I'm using Firefox with no adblock.

 

Something I do on those checks to make them work more often is to wiggle my mouse like I'm playing with a cat for a second or two before clicking the checkbox. More often than not now, it works.

 

Good Lord up above, save us from web scrapers and AI-bros.

Techwright

Techwright

Posted
  • Author
Posted
On 9/24/2025 at 8:33 AM, Skyhawke said:

I think this thread sheds some light on why they're checking for humans.

 

 

 

I am now imagining Rikti struggling to identify all the boxes with normal, everyday human-related stuff in them.

Skyhawke

Skyhawke

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Techwright said:

 

I am now imagining Rikti struggling to identify all the boxes with normal, everyday human-related stuff in them.

 

Question: Is this part of crosswalk?

Declaration: Impossible to tell.

Resolution: Refresh for better captcha.

  • Haha 1

Sky-Hawke: Rad/WP Brute

Alts galore. So...soooo many alts.

Originally Pinnacle Server, then Indomitable and now Excelsior

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