Overview
- Google has begun testing an optional reCAPTCHA that asks users to enable their device camera and perform simple hand gestures to prove they are human.
- The system records a short video of the hand motion, extracts 21 hand‑landmark coordinates for real‑time liveness analysis, and Google says the footage is not tied to identity and is deleted after verification.
- Google says audio is never recorded, camera permission must be granted in the browser and users can choose traditional visual or audio challenges if they cannot use gestures.
- Privacy advocates and social media users have questioned the camera requirement and at least one user posted a claimed bypass using a virtual camera and AI‑generated animation, raising doubts about robustness.
- The move responds to more capable AI bots that defeat image CAPTCHAs and could prompt further changes in fraud detection and regulatory scrutiny over camera and biometric checks.