This time I have some packages to be delivered by Royal Mail and have a
couple of tracking numbers and a link to their site.

Since when have they started to use those picture verification grids,
why are they all USA pictures, why are they using American terms
(example: identify all pictures with cross-walks) and why is such
security required on a parcel tracking site? There is no user ID or
password involved so ANYONE with the tracking number can get in after
jumping through this unnecessary series of hoops.


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alan_m formulated on Tuesday :
Since when have they started to use those picture verification grids, why are
they all USA pictures, why are they using American terms (example: identify
all pictures with cross-walks) and why is such security required on a parcel
tracking site? There is no user ID or password involved so ANYONE with the
tracking number can get in after jumping through this unnecessary series of
hoops.

Good question, why indeed - very annoying and the pictures are not
always accurately described by the system, so you go around again. All
a bit pointless anyway, because the only tracking you generally get is
to say its been delivered.

On Tue, 16 Jun 2020 12:47:22 +0100, alan_m wrote:

Since when have they started to use those picture verification grids,
why are they all USA pictures, why are they using American terms
(example: identify all pictures with cross-walks)

'Cause it's a google service?

... and why is such security required on a parcel tracking site?

Basic DoS (Denial of Service) attack mitigation. Stops people
writting a script to rapidly submit "tracking queries" to the site
overloading it. The recaptcha go/no go is not processed by the main
sites server but by google one.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On 16/06/2020 12:47, alan_m wrote:

This time I have some packages to be delivered by Royal Mail and have a
couple of tracking numbers and a link to their site.

Since when have they started to use those picture verification grids,
why are they all USA pictures, why are they using American terms
(example: identify all pictures with cross-walks) and why is such
security required on a parcel tracking site? There is no user ID or
password involved so ANYONE with the tracking number can get in after
jumping through this unnecessary series of hoops.


Because some middle manager was 'tasked' with 'security' and had to show
something visible?

So he bought whatever crap someone sold him, as long as it came with a
cut and pastable 'security report' that he could deliver to his management.

Middle managers are totally incompetent ****s, by and large.
Think Theresa May times 100000.

--
Climate is what you expect but weather is what you get.
Mark Twain

On Tue, 16 Jun 2020 12:47:22 +0100, alan_m wrote:

Since when have they started to use those picture verification grids,
why are they all USA pictures, why are they using American terms
(example: identify all pictures with cross-walks)

And anything green is a tractor.

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On 16/06/2020 12:47, alan_m wrote:
Since when have they started to use those picture verification grids,

I hate that deeply.

You can often get around it by refreshing the page.

Their tracking tends to amount to no more than letting you know when
they've delivered an item anyway, so little use to the recipient.

On 16/06/2020 14:44, R D S wrote:

Their tracking tends to amount to no more than letting you know when
they've delivered an item anyway, so little use to the recipient.

Even less use

"Sorry, we're currently unable to confirm the status of your item"


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They would be breaking the law in Norway, as inaccessible web devices mean
they get finded every week they have no fix.

Its actually illegal here, but the law has no teeth, and its up to the blind
person to complain and take them to court.
Brian

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This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"alan_m" wrote in message
...

This time I have some packages to be delivered by Royal Mail and have a
couple of tracking numbers and a link to their site.

Since when have they started to use those picture verification grids, why
are they all USA pictures, why are they using American terms (example:
identify all pictures with cross-walks) and why is such security required
on a parcel tracking site? There is no user ID or password involved so
ANYONE with the tracking number can get in after jumping through this
unnecessary series of hoops.


--
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On 16/06/2020 13:05, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Tue, 16 Jun 2020 12:47:22 +0100, alan_m wrote:

Since when have they started to use those picture verification grids,
why are they all USA pictures, why are they using American terms
(example: identify all pictures with cross-walks)

'Cause it's a google service?


Apparently, these tiles are live pictures from Google's street view car.
It's harnessing you (unpaid and ****ed off) to help it train its
artificial intelligence to avoid future US self driving cars hitting
pedestrians, ignoring road signs, and crashing into fire hydrants.

Them cars are going to be unsafe, here ...

--
Adrian C

On 16/06/2020 15:32, Brian Gaff (Sofa) wrote:
They would be breaking the law in Norway, as inaccessible web devices mean
they get finded every week they have no fix.

Its actually illegal here, but the law has no teeth, and its up to the blind
person to complain and take them to court.
Brian



Its bad enough when not blind to spot some of the items they want you to
identify.

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On 16/06/2020 16:15, alan_m wrote:
Its bad enough when not blind to spot some of the items they want you to
identify.


It really is, I can't do them.

On 16/06/2020 15:14, alan_m wrote:
On 16/06/2020 14:44, R D S wrote:

Their tracking tends to amount to no more than letting you know when
they've delivered an item anyway, so little use to the recipient.

Even less use

"Sorry, we're currently unable to confirm the status of your item"



I was having a rant about Fedex earlier,

If you Google Fedex tracking the first result has the subtitle,

"FedEx tracking provides unparalleled insight into when your package
will be delivered"

Unparalleled insight......
"On van, out for delivery"

Still better than Royal Mail though.

alan_m brought next idea :
Its bad enough when not blind to spot some of the items they want you to
identify.

+1

Harry Bloomfield wrote:

the pictures are not always accurately described by the system

When it asks for pictures of "cars" be sure to include all pickup trucks
smarginally smaller than an artic.

Adrian Caspersz wrote:

Apparently, these tiles are live pictures from Google's street view car.

pictures from yes, live pictures from I highly doubt it.

Bob Eager wrote:

And anything green is a tractor.

Even JCBs, which apparently aren't yellow over there.

On Tue, 16 Jun 2020 17:36:41 +0100, Andy Burns wrote:

Bob Eager wrote:

And anything green is a tractor.

Even JCBs, which apparently aren't yellow over there.

That was what I was thinking of.



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My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub
wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message.
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

Often there is an audio version as well, but due to the huge improvement in
word recognition the spammers are aware and can solve them, but then they
put background noise in, now they have upset the deaf as well.
The true answer is some very well thought out questions which rely on the
idiosyncrasies of language to make it harder for a machine to understand.
Brian

--
----- --
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"alan_m" wrote in message
...
On 16/06/2020 15:32, Brian Gaff (Sofa) wrote:
They would be breaking the law in Norway, as inaccessible web devices
mean
they get finded every week they have no fix.

Its actually illegal here, but the law has no teeth, and its up to the
blind
person to complain and take them to court.
Brian



Its bad enough when not blind to spot some of the items they want you to
identify.

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 16/06/2020 17:35, Andy Burns wrote:
Adrian Caspersz wrote:

Apparently, these tiles are live pictures from Google's street view car.

pictures from yes, live pictures from I highly doubt it.

Live in time, probably not (otherwise, we could cause accidents, hey
that would be fun!..), but live as in 'taken from a live camera used on
a car', yes

https://www.ceros.com/originals/reca...-driving-cars/

--
Adrian C

Adrian Caspersz Wrote in message:
On 16/06/2020 13:05, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Tue, 16 Jun 2020 12:47:22 +0100, alan_m wrote:

Since when have they started to use those picture verification grids,
why are they all USA pictures, why are they using American terms
(example: identify all pictures with cross-walks)

'Cause it's a google service?


Apparently, these tiles are live pictures from Google's street view car.
It's harnessing you (unpaid and ****ed off) to help it train its
artificial intelligence to avoid future US self driving cars hitting
pedestrians, ignoring road signs, and crashing into fire hydrants.

Them cars are going to be unsafe, here ...


How are we being used exactly?
The captcha "answers" are already known shurely? Otherwise how
could we get them "right"?....

--
Jimk


----Android NewsGroup Reader----
http://usenet.sinaapp.com/

On 18/06/2020 08:56, Jimk wrote:
Adrian Caspersz Wrote in message:
On 16/06/2020 13:05, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Tue, 16 Jun 2020 12:47:22 +0100, alan_m wrote:

Since when have they started to use those picture verification grids,
why are they all USA pictures, why are they using American terms
(example: identify all pictures with cross-walks)

'Cause it's a google service?


Apparently, these tiles are live pictures from Google's street view car.
It's harnessing you (unpaid and ****ed off) to help it train its
artificial intelligence to avoid future US self driving cars hitting
pedestrians, ignoring road signs, and crashing into fire hydrants.

Them cars are going to be unsafe, here ...


How are we being used exactly?
The captcha "answers" are already known shurely? Otherwise how
could we get them "right"?....


Possibly by the number of items you don't identify before pressing
continue. The other day a round ball on the top of a brick gatepost was
the missing statue they wanted me to identify.


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alan_m Wrote in message:
On 18/06/2020 08:56, Jimk wrote:
Adrian Caspersz Wrote in message:
On 16/06/2020 13:05, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Tue, 16 Jun 2020 12:47:22 +0100, alan_m wrote:

Since when have they started to use those picture verification grids,
why are they all USA pictures, why are they using American terms
(example: identify all pictures with cross-walks)

'Cause it's a google service?


Apparently, these tiles are live pictures from Google's street view car.
It's harnessing you (unpaid and ****ed off) to help it train its
artificial intelligence to avoid future US self driving cars hitting
pedestrians, ignoring road signs, and crashing into fire hydrants.

Them cars are going to be unsafe, here ...


How are we being used exactly?
The captcha "answers" are already known shurely? Otherwise how
could we get them "right"?....


Possibly by the number of items you don't identify before pressing
continue. The other day a round ball on the top of a brick gatepost was
the missing statue they wanted me to identify.



Hmmmm.....
--
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----Android NewsGroup Reader----
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Then they should show photos inside abbatoirs and ask people
to identify animals. That should ****-off the Vegans and
Veggies too :-)

Andrew

On 17/06/2020 11:27, Brian Gaff (Sofa) wrote:
Often there is an audio version as well, but due to the huge improvement in
word recognition the spammers are aware and can solve them, but then they
put background noise in, now they have upset the deaf as well.
The true answer is some very well thought out questions which rely on the
idiosyncrasies of language to make it harder for a machine to understand.
Brian

On 18/06/2020 08:56, Jimk wrote:
Adrian Caspersz Wrote in message:
On 16/06/2020 13:05, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Tue, 16 Jun 2020 12:47:22 +0100, alan_m wrote:

Since when have they started to use those picture verification grids,
why are they all USA pictures, why are they using American terms
(example: identify all pictures with cross-walks)

'Cause it's a google service?


Apparently, these tiles are live pictures from Google's street view car.
It's harnessing you (unpaid and ****ed off) to help it train its
artificial intelligence to avoid future US self driving cars hitting
pedestrians, ignoring road signs, and crashing into fire hydrants.

Them cars are going to be unsafe, here ...


How are we being used exactly?
The captcha "answers" are already known shurely? Otherwise how
could we get them "right"?....

Some they don't know the answer to, and are used to train the AI; others
they do and are used to see whether you are a robot or a (US) human. If
enough people identify an object as a fire hydrant, they move the
picture from the first to the second set.

--
Max Demian

On 18/06/2020 08:56, Jimk wrote:
Adrian Caspersz Wrote in message:
On 16/06/2020 13:05, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Tue, 16 Jun 2020 12:47:22 +0100, alan_m wrote:

Since when have they started to use those picture verification grids,
why are they all USA pictures, why are they using American terms
(example: identify all pictures with cross-walks)

'Cause it's a google service?


Apparently, these tiles are live pictures from Google's street view car.
It's harnessing you (unpaid and ****ed off) to help it train its
artificial intelligence to avoid future US self driving cars hitting
pedestrians, ignoring road signs, and crashing into fire hydrants.

Them cars are going to be unsafe, here ...


How are we being used exactly?
The captcha "answers" are already known shurely? Otherwise how
could we get them "right"?....


It's a voting system, the AI makes a guess, if enough people confirm
that initial guess then it will expect you to confirm it. If you dont
then it will present you with another set of pictures, but mark down the
certainty of the previous identification.


--
djc

(–€Ì¿Ä¹Ì¯–€Ì¿ Ì¿)
No low-hanging fruit, just a lot of small berries up a tall tree.

On 18/06/2020 20:39, DJC wrote:

It's a voting system, the AI makes a guess, if enough people confirm
that initial guess then it will expect you to confirm it. If you dont
then it will present you with another set of pictures, but mark down the
certainty of the previous identification.

The grids I've seen recently will not let you continue unless you get
all of what "they" consider correct (unless the page is refreshed to get
a new image)



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