People are shocked to realize what clicking 'I'm not a robot' really does

The internet has made our lives easier, but sometimes it can be frustrating the hoops you have to jump to navigate certain sites. One of the little annoying things that you most likely have encountered on the internet is the pop-ups asking you to verify that you’re human.

Are you a robot?

reCAPTCHA such as the pop-up ‘I’m not a robot’ dialogue box have been designed to prevent or limit the number of bots that access websites, according to Science ABC. These bots are designed by unscrupulous people to commit financial fraud by emptying the stocks provided by an e-commerce website, among others. Samuel Bucholtz co-founder of Casaba Security, explained to Reader’s Digest:

A HIP/CAPTCHA fundamentally is any mechanism by which a computer—more pedantically, software written by a programmer—can identify if it is interacting with a human being rather than another computer

How it works

Now, you might think you’re just checking a box to verify that you belong to the human species. Unbeknownst to you, this simple action triggers a complex algorithmic sequence of events in the background. A resurfaced 2020 episode of QI hosted by Sandi Toksvig explained what actually happens:

So ticking the box is not the point. It's how you behaved before you ticked the box that is analysed. Broadly speaking, you tick the box and it prompts the website to check your browsing history.

In the video posted on TikTok by Australian radio presenters Fitzy and Wippa, the QI host explained that your browsing behaviour confirms to the system that you are indeed a human:

Essentially, when you are clicking ‘I am not a robot’ box, you are instructing the site to have a look at your data and decide for itself. If the machine is not sure, that’s when it directs you to click on lightroom pictures of fire hydrants that aren’t there.

Sources used:

Reader’s Digest: How Do Those “I’m Not a Robot” Tests Work?

Science ABC:How Effective Is The “Not A Robot” Check On Websites?

Virgin Radio UK: People are just realising what clicking 'I am not a robot' really does — and they're shocked