CAPTCHA

A CAPTCHA is a security tool used by websites to make sure that a user is human, and not a bot. It stands for Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart.

CAPTCHAs come in many forms. Older versions might ask you to type in distorted text, while newer ones like reCAPTCHA often involve selecting pictures of things like traffic lights or buses. Sometimes, simply clicking a box is enough, as the system checks how you interact with the page to confirm you’re human.

The main purpose of CAPTCHA is to block automated programs from harming the website by – creating fake accounts, posting spam, or scraping data. The tasks are designed to be simple for humans but difficult for bots to complete.