Facebook Users Getting Annoyed With Captchas

-Captcha Following Word- Over the past few weeks I have been getting countless emails from users that have been increasingly prompted to fill out captcha forms when submitting wall posts and updating statuses. The reason for the increase is most likely because Facebook is trying to contain spammers. Unfortunately it’s making it more challenging for users to interact with the site.

When Facebook released their upgraded public profiles product, I had the same issue and reached out to Facebook about it. I heard back and was informed that it was a bug on my account and the issue was quickly resolved. If this is truly a bug then it appears that there are a lot of other users that have been affected the issue. For those of you not aware of what a captcha is, it is a form which prompts you to enter what is written in an image to prevent spammers.

After the redesign, users began reporting a substantial increase in the frequency of captcha occurrences. Previously users were prompted to enter a captcha form if they hadn’t “verified” their account. Verification is accomplished by confirming your mobile phone number. Even verified accounts are being prompted now and currently we don’t know whether it’s a bug or Facebook fighting against spam.

Regardless of the reason behind the increase, users are getting frustrated with the boxes as they are regularly prompted to enter words which are occasionally illegible. One would imagine that entering a phone number should be sufficient for verification purposes but perhaps spammers have figured out Facebook’s session handling system and are continuing to spam users’ walls.

Have you been prompted to enter captcha forms when posting on walls or updating your status?

-Facebook Captcha Screenshot-

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522833 Comments2009-04-16+15%3A08%3A05Nick+O%27Neill »

I thought I'm the only one who annoyed with Captchas. Each time I update status with link, Captchas prompted.

Comment by Nasrul Amri Samsudin — April 16, 2009 @ 7:14 am
This is one of the major frustrations of MySpace – nothing stifles growth and use faster than "punishing" your users with constant "verifications".

There seems to be a correlation between heavy use and the frequency of captcha prompts.

It would be unfortunate to see Facebook take the same path as MySpace.

Comment by Shaun — April 16, 2009 @ 7:19 am
This is one of the must frustrating things about MySpace. Nothing stifles growth and activity among users than "punishing" them for their heavy use.

There seems to be a correlation between heavy use and the frequency of captcha prompts. It is very frustrating overall.

It would be unfortunate to see Facebook follow MySpace down this particular path.

MySpace recently added an option for users to skip captcha if they provide their phone number and agree to receive text messages from MySpace (not notifications, but potential advertisements) – no thanks. I'll stick with captcha entries.

Comment by Shaun — April 16, 2009 @ 7:24 am
Yes, I have been prompted to enter captcha forms when posting on walls or updating my status. A real pain in the captcha.

Comment by Paolo Amoroso — April 16, 2009 @ 7:24 am
ANY time I try to put a tinyurl in my status it asks for Captcha. However, if I put a tinyrul in a tweet, that's synced to update with facebook, no problem. Ironic, that it's easier for me to post some things on facebook if I do it from somewhere other than facebook.

Comment by Amy — April 16, 2009 @ 7:28 am
yo (added by Mobile using Mippin)

Comment by Dejan Nikolic — April 16, 2009 @ 7:35 am
I watched a promotional video for "Facebook Blaster Pro" (and wanted to punch out its developers) wherein they said, "and CAPTCHAs" are not even an issue. It advertises 100% CAPTCHA bypass.

I've had to enter a few captchas. Some were illegible and all were annoying, especially considering that it doesn't even hamper the marketers.

Comment by Winkyboy — April 16, 2009 @ 10:42 am
I haven't seen too much either but you have to fight spam someway.

Comment by Nick Stamoulis — April 16, 2009 @ 10:47 am
I update my status via the Firefox Toolbar Extension.
How would the captcha cope with this?
No request until now, anyway

Comment by Facebook User — April 16, 2009 @ 12:02 pm
When the idea of Captcha first came up, I actually thought what a great tool to prevent spammers. But it has now become a pain even in my own site/blogs..

Comment by Jerry Okorie — April 16, 2009 @ 12:09 pm
I do get these, but I don't think it's increased since the redesign.

I would gladly verify with my mobile if T-Mobile worked with Facebook. Grrr. >:(

Comment by Lisa Brandt Heckman — April 16, 2009 @ 12:19 pm
Annnnd of course, I immediately got one after posting that comment here.

Comment by Lisa Brandt Heckman — April 16, 2009 @ 4:35 pm
It's not only become more frequent, it's always been a problem for me. In my profile, I have to enter those stupid words every time I add a friend.

And to remove it, I could confirm my account via text message, but it doesn't support the most popular carrier in my country yet. *Sigh*

Worse still, people at Facebook don't know it. They just reset the confirmation code and ask me to try again. But of course, without success.

Comment by Hendry Lee — April 17, 2009 @ 5:42 am
Yup, and it sucks.

Comment by Lisa Jeffries — April 17, 2009 @ 9:07 am
On the bright side, I really appreciate how the CAPTCHAs prevent me from posting when I'm drunk.

Comment by Lisa — April 17, 2009 @ 10:50 am
Actually I don't mind it much. Some of the phrases they come up is quite funny. And these easier to complete than the Ticketmaster confirmation windows at their website. Its a small price to pay instead of confirming you're mobile phone and then having some hacker get the number..

Comment by Bal — April 19, 2009 @ 8:24 am
This is happening posting youtube links sort of. Instead of the usual video preview, you see a captcha code. Really sucks!

Comment by Khristopher — April 21, 2009 @ 3:14 pm
I just got fed up and deleted my account. Just not worth it for me. Poor vision and no texting on my cell phone is a death sentence on Facebook.

Comment by Tony — May 1, 2009 @ 5:37 pm
It won't let me use the same cell number more than once.

Comment by Alex — July 12, 2009 @ 12:46 pm
It is so bad I do not willingly patronize companies that use Captcha. I don't mind filling in legible numbers but Captcha stinks! I hope it goes to Internet hell.

Comment by Jonathan Levy — August 31, 2009 @ 3:49 pm
WHAT ABOUT THOSE OF US WHO DON'T OWN A MOBILE PHONE, AND THERE R ALOT OF US!!! WHY CAN'T FB HAVE A PHONE # SETTING??? I'VE ASKED THEM TWICE…STILL NO REPLY. FOR US, IT REALLY IS A PAIN IN THE CAPTCHA!!!!!

Comment by Peggie T. quirk — October 29, 2009 @ 9:48 pm
I've been plagued with CAPTCHA forms every time I send a message or write a status update today with a web link. Started today.

Comment by Ari Herzog — October 30, 2009 @ 9:34 am
Kill the CAPTCHA. I hadn't been on all day, and then one simple post and I get the bug igly catcha!

Comment by Orange County SEO — December 31, 2009 @ 2:20 pm
I hate captcha with a passion very frustrating

Comment by Martina c — March 27, 2010 @ 4:45 am
I have vision problems from a car wreck so relectantly released my phone…only to have it compromised first time EVER!

noW I am locked out of account with captcha images that are incompatible with my older operting system and blackberry(RIM DOESNT SUPPORT FLASH-Mmst captchas are)

and it wnt except my password becuae needd verify that i wa s at dif station. WTF BIZ IF i use mobile-lap-mac or home pc!!!!!!!!

The minute I N LOG IN IT WILL BE TO REMOVE MY ACCOUNT-the reason I ws n such a crappy social site was to be in touch with my children…havent been on for 3 months excpet from kinkos while attending business or a status from tweet, MAYBE i should buy MLP and a facebook hack too? naw save money for on php bb site!

Comment by Jenny R — June 6, 2010 @ 2:58 pm
I have vision problems from a car wreck so relectantly re;eased my phone…

no I am locked out of account with captcha images that are incompatible with my older operting system and blackberry

and it wnt except my password becuae needd verify that i wa s at dif station. WTF BIZ IF i use mobile-lap-mac or home pc!!!!!!!!

The minute I N LOG IN IT WILL BE TO REMOVE MY ACCOUNT-the reason I ws n such a crappy social site was to be in touch with my children…havent been on for 3 months excpet from kinkos while attending business or a status from tweet

Comment by Jenny R — June 6, 2010 @ 3:09 pm
I’m very annoyed because I have to enter the captcha even when I’m replying messages from my family members.

Comment by Tessy Herman — June 15, 2010 @ 8:48 am
Pfft, I'd rather see spam everywhere than deal with this shit…….

Comment by Ben Kirksey — July 4, 2010 @ 10:04 pm
This just happened to me when I tried to post a CBS News video to my wall. I'm logged in and my cell number is verified with the site. Outrageous.

Comment by Silver Fang — October 27, 2010 @ 12:08 pm
How long till we lose our freedoms before we say enough is enough?

Comment by Kyle — October 26, 2011 @ 12:13 pm
http://m.facebook.com/Baadsha.Lover
i did not get the Mobile Account Verification code.

Comment by Bacha Khan — January 17, 2012 @ 11:02 am
I see this goes back to 2009. It's happening to me now. I've written to Facebook. I've posted on their "Known issues." Crickets. Nada. Nothing. Nope. No info.

Comment by Gary — January 23, 2012 @ 6:10 pm
I never saw the Captchas at Facebook until about 10 days ago (Jan 2012). Suddenly, they're popping up around every 7 – 8 times I post at Facebook… and for me, that's often. This is getting really annoying, because — even with my reading glasses — those codes can be difficult to decipher correctly.

And, as "reading glasses" would suggest, I don't exactly match the profile of a typical spammer. Well, unless there are a lot of grannies inadvertently reposting spam, that is…! *chuckle and sigh*

Have FB stepped up security to look more impressive for their IPO, or what? (Rhetorical question.)

This could well tilt the scales in favor of G+ … for me, anyway.

Comment by Eibhlin — February 5, 2012 @ 12:49 pm

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I thought I'm the only one who annoyed with Captchas. Each time I update status with link, Captchas prompted.

Comment by Nasrul Amri Samsudin — April 16, 2009 @ 7:14 am

This is one of the major frustrations of MySpace – nothing stifles growth and use faster than "punishing" your users with constant "verifications".

There seems to be a correlation between heavy use and the frequency of captcha prompts.

It would be unfortunate to see Facebook take the same path as MySpace.

Comment by Shaun — April 16, 2009 @ 7:19 am

This is one of the must frustrating things about MySpace. Nothing stifles growth and activity among users than "punishing" them for their heavy use.

There seems to be a correlation between heavy use and the frequency of captcha prompts. It is very frustrating overall.

It would be unfortunate to see Facebook follow MySpace down this particular path.

MySpace recently added an option for users to skip captcha if they provide their phone number and agree to receive text messages from MySpace (not notifications, but potential advertisements) – no thanks. I'll stick with captcha entries.

Comment by Shaun — April 16, 2009 @ 7:24 am

Yes, I have been prompted to enter captcha forms when posting on walls or updating my status. A real pain in the captcha.

Comment by Paolo Amoroso — April 16, 2009 @ 7:24 am

ANY time I try to put a tinyurl in my status it asks for Captcha. However, if I put a tinyrul in a tweet, that's synced to update with facebook, no problem. Ironic, that it's easier for me to post some things on facebook if I do it from somewhere other than facebook.

Comment by Amy — April 16, 2009 @ 7:28 am

yo (added by Mobile using Mippin)

Comment by Dejan Nikolic — April 16, 2009 @ 7:35 am

I watched a promotional video for "Facebook Blaster Pro" (and wanted to punch out its developers) wherein they said, "and CAPTCHAs" are not even an issue. It advertises 100% CAPTCHA bypass.

I've had to enter a few captchas. Some were illegible and all were annoying, especially considering that it doesn't even hamper the marketers.

Comment by Winkyboy — April 16, 2009 @ 10:42 am

I haven't seen too much either but you have to fight spam someway.

Comment by Nick Stamoulis — April 16, 2009 @ 10:47 am

I update my status via the Firefox Toolbar Extension.
How would the captcha cope with this?
No request until now, anyway

Comment by Facebook User — April 16, 2009 @ 12:02 pm

When the idea of Captcha first came up, I actually thought what a great tool to prevent spammers. But it has now become a pain even in my own site/blogs..

Comment by Jerry Okorie — April 16, 2009 @ 12:09 pm

I do get these, but I don't think it's increased since the redesign.

I would gladly verify with my mobile if T-Mobile worked with Facebook. Grrr. >:(

Comment by Lisa Brandt Heckman — April 16, 2009 @ 12:19 pm

Annnnd of course, I immediately got one after posting that comment here.

Comment by Lisa Brandt Heckman — April 16, 2009 @ 4:35 pm

It's not only become more frequent, it's always been a problem for me. In my profile, I have to enter those stupid words every time I add a friend.

And to remove it, I could confirm my account via text message, but it doesn't support the most popular carrier in my country yet. *Sigh*

Worse still, people at Facebook don't know it. They just reset the confirmation code and ask me to try again. But of course, without success.

Comment by Hendry Lee — April 17, 2009 @ 5:42 am

Yup, and it sucks.

Comment by Lisa Jeffries — April 17, 2009 @ 9:07 am

On the bright side, I really appreciate how the CAPTCHAs prevent me from posting when I'm drunk.

Comment by Lisa — April 17, 2009 @ 10:50 am

Actually I don't mind it much. Some of the phrases they come up is quite funny. And these easier to complete than the Ticketmaster confirmation windows at their website. Its a small price to pay instead of confirming you're mobile phone and then having some hacker get the number..

Comment by Bal — April 19, 2009 @ 8:24 am

This is happening posting youtube links sort of. Instead of the usual video preview, you see a captcha code. Really sucks!

Comment by Khristopher — April 21, 2009 @ 3:14 pm

I just got fed up and deleted my account. Just not worth it for me. Poor vision and no texting on my cell phone is a death sentence on Facebook.

Comment by Tony — May 1, 2009 @ 5:37 pm

It won't let me use the same cell number more than once.

Comment by Alex — July 12, 2009 @ 12:46 pm

It is so bad I do not willingly patronize companies that use Captcha. I don't mind filling in legible numbers but Captcha stinks! I hope it goes to Internet hell.

Comment by Jonathan Levy — August 31, 2009 @ 3:49 pm

WHAT ABOUT THOSE OF US WHO DON'T OWN A MOBILE PHONE, AND THERE R ALOT OF US!!! WHY CAN'T FB HAVE A PHONE # SETTING??? I'VE ASKED THEM TWICE…STILL NO REPLY. FOR US, IT REALLY IS A PAIN IN THE CAPTCHA!!!!!

Comment by Peggie T. quirk — October 29, 2009 @ 9:48 pm

I've been plagued with CAPTCHA forms every time I send a message or write a status update today with a web link. Started today.

Comment by Ari Herzog — October 30, 2009 @ 9:34 am

Kill the CAPTCHA. I hadn't been on all day, and then one simple post and I get the bug igly catcha!

Comment by Orange County SEO — December 31, 2009 @ 2:20 pm

I hate captcha with a passion very frustrating

Comment by Martina c — March 27, 2010 @ 4:45 am

I have vision problems from a car wreck so relectantly released my phone…only to have it compromised first time EVER!

noW I am locked out of account with captcha images that are incompatible with my older operting system and blackberry(RIM DOESNT SUPPORT FLASH-Mmst captchas are)

and it wnt except my password becuae needd verify that i wa s at dif station. WTF BIZ IF i use mobile-lap-mac or home pc!!!!!!!!

The minute I N LOG IN IT WILL BE TO REMOVE MY ACCOUNT-the reason I ws n such a crappy social site was to be in touch with my children…havent been on for 3 months excpet from kinkos while attending business or a status from tweet, MAYBE i should buy MLP and a facebook hack too? naw save money for on php bb site!

Comment by Jenny R — June 6, 2010 @ 2:58 pm

I have vision problems from a car wreck so relectantly re;eased my phone…

no I am locked out of account with captcha images that are incompatible with my older operting system and blackberry

Comment by Jenny R — June 6, 2010 @ 3:09 pm

I’m very annoyed because I have to enter the captcha even when I’m replying messages from my family members.

Comment by Tessy Herman — June 15, 2010 @ 8:48 am

Pfft, I'd rather see spam everywhere than deal with this shit…….

Comment by Ben Kirksey — July 4, 2010 @ 10:04 pm

This just happened to me when I tried to post a CBS News video to my wall. I'm logged in and my cell number is verified with the site. Outrageous.

Comment by Silver Fang — October 27, 2010 @ 12:08 pm

How long till we lose our freedoms before we say enough is enough?

Comment by Kyle — October 26, 2011 @ 12:13 pm

http://m.facebook.com/Baadsha.Lover
i did not get the Mobile Account Verification code.

Comment by Bacha Khan — January 17, 2012 @ 11:02 am

I see this goes back to 2009. It's happening to me now. I've written to Facebook. I've posted on their "Known issues." Crickets. Nada. Nothing. Nope. No info.

Comment by Gary — January 23, 2012 @ 6:10 pm

I never saw the Captchas at Facebook until about 10 days ago (Jan 2012). Suddenly, they're popping up around every 7 – 8 times I post at Facebook… and for me, that's often. This is getting really annoying, because — even with my reading glasses — those codes can be difficult to decipher correctly.

And, as "reading glasses" would suggest, I don't exactly match the profile of a typical spammer. Well, unless there are a lot of grannies inadvertently reposting spam, that is…! *chuckle and sigh*

Have FB stepped up security to look more impressive for their IPO, or what? (Rhetorical question.)

This could well tilt the scales in favor of G+ … for me, anyway.

Comment by Eibhlin — February 5, 2012 @ 12:49 pm

Welcome New Reader!

Facebook Users Getting Annoyed With Captchas

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