Google’s Visual Verification Gone! (almost)
As you may recall from my [March 8th article](http://blog.carrolltech.org/archives/12 “Another Google Access Issue: Visual Verification Systems”) and/or from [Darrell’s article on Blind Access Journal](http://nu7i.blogspot.com/2005/03/ask-google-to-unlock-visua_111012189804844249.html ” Ask Google to Unlock Visual Verification for the Blind”), Google uses a visual verification system to verify that people signing up for new accounts are really people signing up for new accounts and not automated systems seeking to exploit Google’s services. This system is also required to reset your password for your general Google account and, according to Darrell, your GMail account.
At least they used to use this system.
GMail accounts are now available to the public, so I just signed up for one. At no time was I expected to identify the characters shown in a picture. I reset my GMail password. No picture. I then reset my general Google account’s password. No picture.
(in a tentative, solemn voice) I think it’s gone….
Oops. I just created a new general, non-GMail account and was confronted with visual verification. Okay so we’re nearly there.
Time to [send more feedback to Google](http://google.com/support/bin/request.py?user_type=user&contact_type=report_problem&submit=Continue “Send Google Feedback”), letting them know that I’m thrilled that the visual verification system has been removed for the resetting of passwords and requesting its removal from their [Create Account page](https://www.google.com/accounts/CreateAccount “Fill out the form on this page to create a general, non-GMail, account”).
At least we’re heading in the right direction….
—jd
March 21st, 2005 at 2:16 pm
Yes! Looks like we might be, in fact, making some progress here. I’m sure it is all thanks to our advocacy for accessibility and wouldn’t be happening without our concerted and consistent efforts. I’ll have more to say on this and many other things in very short order. I just returned from CSUN; it was a life changer for me!
March 22nd, 2005 at 12:22 am
I just had another thought concerning Googles approach to the partial removal of visual verification. When Network Solutions quietly removed their visual verification from the Whois domain name search, they made absolutely no statements to anyone in the blind community, at least not that anyone in NFB is willing to admit. A similar thing might be happening with Google. I have received absolutely no statements of commitment from Google on accessibility of any kind, yet we may be starting to observe the disappearance of visual verification.
Quietly resolving an issue without comment often means that those who caused it have come to realize the wrongness of their actions, are willing to fix it, but are unwilling or unable to admit to anyone that there was even a problem at all. Oh, well, I’m just glad to see that it is starting to be resolved.
March 22nd, 2005 at 2:39 pm
I wasn’t expecting a reply from the folks at Google, but I just got one:
Thank you for your note and your patience. We very much appreciate your concerns, and we’ve passed your email along to the appropriate team.
Please be assured we’re taking this issue seriously.
Regards,
The Google Team