Web security and accessibility
Website security is very important to achieve and maintain especially when confidential user data is involved, such as address and credit card information and one of the main concerns is to stop hackers from accessing the user data. But another issue which is often seen is spam bots attempting to submit forms and posting all kinds of information. For websites to prevent web spammers/hackers, often we find CAPTCHA’s are used, but using them has raised some issues regarding accessibility.
Image: example of a CAPTCHAThe main problem is of course for people who are visually impaired, blind or even people suffering from dyslexia, but I think you’ll also find that at times even people with eye sight problems find them difficult to read. Causing the user a number of attempts before being able to register or post, this can add time and cause irritation to the users.
But new technologies are being developed to help eliminate these problems, such as the ReCAPTCHA , which is accessible. The web service has an audio service that allows blind people to easily navigate the website.
This may not be on a web developer’s priority list when creating a website, but it’s important to investigate the different options available to help your website content to be more accessible and meets W3C guidelines.
Useful links:
A useful demonstration is available on youtube showing the difficulties faced: CAPTCHAs on Social Networking Sites Shut Out Blind Users
Web content accessibility guidelines