Cindy Ray, You are entitled to your anger, which is justifiable, but not to your assertion that Captchas value at thwarting hackers is "dubious at best." They functioned (and function) brilliantly at preventing machine-based attacks of all sorts. They were and are a brilliant idea that had "the law of unintended consequences" attached. They've also been modified with audio, at least genuine Captcha captchas have, due to accessibility concerns.
Gerald's assertion is dubious, at best, as advocacy from individuals and groups is precisely what has driven the changes that have already occurred and continue to occur. When it comes down to it the old adage, "It's not all about you," (and that's for the generic you) applies here. Businesses and entities are only trying to protect themselves and their assets, and, by extension, their clients. There is no malicious intent and there is far more awareness, and responsiveness, with regard to accessibility issues when those are identified. There is no "one size fits all" solution to any problem, and there is no utility in creating a completely permeable barrier when a partial barrier is actually needed. Input from those negatively affected is an incredibly valuable and necessary part of working through some issues that really had not been anticipated.
