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Comment by colinbartlett | Hacker News Reader

If you work in the Ruby ecosystem at all, there is a gem called invisible_captcha that does just this. It beat back most of the bot signups we were getting, though some still slip through occasionally.

https://github.com/markets/invisible_captcha

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Note that that library is not accessible and is hence illegal to use for most websites in the US. I've raised an issue on the project [1].

[1] https://github.com/markets/invisible_captcha/issues/52

Are most websites run by businesses which employ 15 or more full-time employees?

To be illegal the website must be run by a business which employs 15 or more full-time employees. Or the business is some form of public accommodation like a hotel. From what I have read.

Of course it would be better to make sure the website is accessible, but I'm mostly commenting on the statement that it is illegal.

https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/10900-ada-website-requirem...

Whoa, it is actually illegal to make "not accessible" websites?

In the US, it is if you're an incorporated business serving as a "public accommodation" as defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act, which includes hotels, restaurants, theaters, storefronts. If it is just your personal blog, it doesn't apply. It is the same law that requires storefronts to have wheelchair ramps, but not homes. See Gil v. Winn-Dixie: https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=674450226911160...

More than that; as someone else linked [1], if you're in a business employing at least 15 people (more than half the year), you are also required to have your site be accessible. You don't have to be serving as a public accommodation, for that.

[1] https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/10900-ada-website-requirem...

https://www.section508.gov/manage/laws-and-policies

They even have a compliance tester.

Yeah it's been the only way to make sure people with disabilities aren't left behind.

Ontario, Canada has a similar (maybe a bit more relaxed) law: https://www.ontario.ca/page/how-make-websites-accessible

Awesome! Love a good Ruby solution. Please keep these coming :)

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