Group Romeo - R U NOT HUMAN

Why It Matters

Because inaccessible CAPTCHAs alienate large user groups and expose data, improving them is essential for a more inclusive, secure web.

Key Takeaways

• Traditional CAPTCHAs block bots but also hinder many humans
• Simple mouse tracking can be easily spoofed by bots
• Neurodivergent, motor-impaired, and visually impaired users face exclusion
• Proof‑of‑work CAPTCHAs offer easier human interaction, deter bots
• Innovation needed for inclusive, privacy‑respecting bot mitigation solutions

Summary

Group Romeo's interactive exhibition critiques conventional CAPTCHAs, exposing how they both fail to stop bots and impede legitimate users.

The demo shows simple mouse‑tracking CAPTCHAs that can be spoofed, and highlights data‑harvesting practices that compromise privacy.

It also illustrates how neurodivergent, motor‑impaired and visually‑impaired users are systematically excluded, using a hidden‑cursor test and failed click attempts as stark examples.

Finally, the presentation proposes proof‑of‑work CAPTCHAs as a more user‑friendly alternative, while urging the tech community to develop inclusive, privacy‑respecting bot‑mitigation tools.

Original Description

Client - Sarah Ciston, Academy of Media Art Cologne

Benedict Orlich, Eugene Kang, Affan Siddiqui, Sakthi Pandy, Sarath Roshin-Saran, Leo Lu

Are CAPTCHAs just free labour for AI-training? The internet is in an arms race between CAPTCHAs and bots that solve CAPTCHAs, but only humans are losing out. Investigative artist Sarah Ciston has won prizes for exposing military use of AI. This team will work with her to design a system that filters unwanted web traffic without judging people as "not human enough", for example if they use assistive technologies like screen readers or gaze trackers. A public demonstration will show what really happens when humans get captcha'd by social media and surveillance tech.