Ad-supported CAPTCHAs coming soon
This is why I still think Seth Godin’s a genius. His latest business idea: making the now-ubiquitous CAPTCHA a free, ad-supported service. Instead of hazy and difficult to decipher alphanumeric strings, ad-supported CAPTCHAs would sport sponsor logos, which the visitor would have to identify. Of course, the system would have to have a huge number of sponsors in order to be able to replicate at least some of the randomness that makes CAPTCHAs effective against comment spam (either that, or other variables would have to be introduced, such as “McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets with Hot Sauce”). But the idea is just perfect for 21st Century America; after all, we live in a culture where children recognize corporate logos before they learn their first words. Yes, I think it’s a reprehensible concept; should I really have to type in the name of a brand or product in order to access a completely unrelated site? But I also think it’s inevitable, and someone is probably already working on a business plan based on Seth’s post. I just hope that someone is also working on a reliable, non-commercial, open-source CAPTCHA system as a response.
