Ticketmaster’s finally ditching that stupid CAPTCHA verification system

By Natt Garun Published February 5, 2013

Image used with permission by copyright holder

When was the last time you went through a CAPTCHA verification system? Probably when you tried to illegally download something off Mediafire or when you forgot your password to some random gaming forum. Point is, no one should be using CAPTCHA anymore because it’s annoying, hard to read, and harder to get past even for humans. So praise the heavens that Ticketmaster is finally kicking CAPTCHA verifications to the curb.

Thanks to a new software created by New York startup Solve Media, no more will buyers be forced to type in a string of jumbled letters and numbers. Instead of deciphering the randomized mess of alphabets, the new verification will ask customers to type in common phrases, select an answer to a simple multiple choice question, or type in a description that matches a displayed image. Already this is proving to be a much more effective way of differentiating humans from robots, since it relies on basic human knowledge rather than our reading abilities.

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CAPTCHA, short for Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart, puzzles have recently gotten increasingly confusing in an effort to outsmart the bots. Sadly, these new levels of illegibility have also baffled human consumers, forcing them to try multiple times to get past the security check page. And you wonder why everyone hates on Ticketmaster when they can’t snatch tickets to a popular show because these obnoxious CAPTCHAs slowed them down.

The new system is currently being tested by Ticketmaster, and so far results have shown fairly increased effectiveness. Kip Levin, Ticketmaster’s executive vice president of eCommerce, said the average time it takes to solve these puzzles has been halved from 14 seconds to 7 seconds. He also expects the new system will go into full effect beginning in February, where it is estimated to serve up to 200 million puzzles per month. Undoubtedly, less CAPTCHA attempts will equal heightened customer satisfaction, which goes to show that when it comes to computers, e-commerce, and verifications, the KISS protocol still holds true. Seriously, just keep it simple, stupid.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

An avid gadgets and Internet culture enthusiast, Natt Garun spends her days bringing you the funniest, coolest, and strangest…

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