Look, we can debate the proper and private way to do Captchas all day, but if we remove the existing implementation we will be plunged into a world of hurt.
I run tucson.social - a tiny instance with barely any users and I find myself really ticked off at other Admin’s abdication of duty when it comes to engaging with the developers.
For all the Fediverse discussion on this, where are the github issue comments? Where is our attempt to convince the devs in this.
No, seriously WHERE ARE THEY?
Oh, you think that just because an “Issue” exists to bring back Captchas is the best you can do?
NO it is not the best we can do, we need to be applying some pressure to the developers here and that requires EVERYONE to do their part.
The Devs can’t make Lemmy an awesome place for us if us admins refuse to meaningfully engage with the project and provide feedback on crucial things like this.
So are you an admin? If so, we need more comments here: https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmy/issues/3200
We need to make it VERY clear that Captcha is required before v0.18’s release. Not after when we’ll all be scrambling…
EDIT: To be clear I’m talking to all instance admins, not just Beehaw’s.
UPDATE: Our voices were heard! https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmy/issues/3200#issuecomment-1600505757
The important part was that this was a decision to re-implement the old (if imperfect) solution in time for the upcoming release. mCaptcha and better techs are indeed the better solution, but at least we won’t make ourselves more vulnerable at this critical juncture.
Just enable admin approval and put a sensible registration rate limit. Works better without being a massive accessibility problem with dubious help against bots.
Sure, that might work for me, but it doesn’t scale well for many other larger instances.
I’m not saying to not improve, quite the contrary, improvement is important. I’m saying don’t take away the ONE thing that’s preventing the spam issue from getting worse.
To be clear, I am a developer in real life. I’m not just talking out of my ass. There are way to roll out a new implementation without leaving everyone exposed.
Since you’re a dev, submit a PR for a new captcha. I’m not even using the feature on my instance as I have open signups disabled. So no, I won’t be hassling the devs. If something comes up that I want changed badly enough, I’ll implement it myself.
Maybe the problem is with running larger instances without enough staff?
I do see a potential problem in that lack of attention will result in waves of defederation over time. But I don’t think captchas will provide a long-term solution. Long-form applications work well for mid-sized sites and smaller… or at least will until bots start using AI to fill them out.