Skip to content

Facebook’s FriendPhotoCaptcha = Your Screwed

AdHustler.com get’s various reports about what’s going on deep in the trenches of online marketing.  One development that’s caught my eye lately is Facebook’s FriendPhotoCaptcha.  Most of us have Facebook Profiles.  Some of us (like me) get tons of friend request from random people.  Although i’ve significantly cut down on accepting friend requests from people I don’t know, I have a lot of people on my profile who quite honestly I have no idea who they are.  Since I haven’t had the time to go through all of these friends and cut out the dead weight I realized that I am putting my account at risk with Facebook’s new FriendPhotoCaptcha.

Here’s how it works.  You get a page from Facebook saying that they don’t recognize your location and that you need to “confirm your identity.”  In order to do so they put you through a FriendPhotoCaptcha test.  The test takes random Facebook photo’s (some not even of faces) and makes you pick from a list which friend it is.  I don’t know about you but I don’t know the name of a lot of my Facebook Friends by looking at their pictures.  If you get the questions wrong your account remains locked down and you can try again in an hour.

Screenshots:

Since becoming friends requires the permission of both parties I don’t see why being friends with people you don’t actually know well is an issue to Facebook.  I’m guessing that this FriendPhotoCaptcha is a move to ensure that everyone on your Facebook Profile is actually your friend in real life and not just online.  If not, it’s a very poorly thought out security mechanism.  Either way it makes you think twice about confirming people as your friends that you don’t actually know.

If I ever get locked out of my account I hope they don’t start quizzing me on my friends favorite foods or dating preferences.

What are your thoughts on FriendPhotoCaptcha?

Ad Hustler | Subscribe To Ad Hustler

Published inSocial Media

161 Comments

  1. ALi... ALi...

    OK i practiced my fingers to be super fast on clicking photos of profile on each of the options they gave me. In my second attempt i was very lucky to choose all the correct people from the list and after that it was two simple steps.

    Please review recent activity on your Facebook account
    Your account was recently accessed from a location we’re not familiar with. Please review the activity details below:

    Time | Activity Details | Location
    Yesterday at 2:22pm | Login attempt to “Facebook” from a “computer” | “Country XXX”

    If anything looks unfamiliar, we’ll help you change your password (this will help prevent people in the future from accessing your account without permission). Do you recognize the account activity listed above?

    Yes I recognize it | No

  2. denise denise

    I am still not able to access my account. How do I get the pictures to slow down? They flash to quickly, I was thinking something is wrong with y flash drive. I am 3000 miles away from home and need some help. I try to access the account several times through out the day, no luck! I do know the people in the photos–I just see the pictures flash and then it closes and tells me to come back in an hour.

  3. Frank Frank

    You could take screen shots as well! I can tell you this, they’re usually the same pictures over and over again with different ones here and there. For example, they will use the same 14 pictures in different sequences.

  4. denise denise

    ok this is crazy…I identified first picture..no problem then a second picture flashed ( of my daughter) and then
    tells me to come back in an hour..this is so frustrating..
    Not enough time, is it something that I am doing?
    Help

  5. Frank Frank

    Denise? Something doesn’t sound right. It shouldn’t flash at all! Try this, delete all of your history, temp files, etc., then restart your computer, get back onto facebook and see what happens. It may ask you to wait the rest of the hour but when you are able to take it again, see what happens.

  6. denise denise

    Thanks for the help…it didn’t work. But it was worth the try! I deleted everything restarted, and same result.
    After I…type out the WORDS…then it tells me to start…I click start, it flashes a photo then closes..I sometimes know the person..I just can’t click…Sometimes it lets me do the first photo and then I go to the second photo and it flashes and tells me to come back in an hour. This is so frustrating. I am writing facebook, about errors and Bugs..but no reply as of yet. One reply by facebook said that this account is not disabled.

  7. Frank Frank

    That is so weird! It shouldn’t be flashing like that! So you know the email that you need to write to then?

  8. Nadja Nadja

    LOL. Had the same probs. Had pictures of dogs, cats and even Charly Brown and Snoopy to identify…This sucks, Fuck Facebook, there are plenty of ohter options.

  9. Wowlegs Wowlegs

    CANT ACCESS MY ACCOUNT FOR 2WEEKS NOW!!! I HAVE LOTS OF FRIENDS FROM FORUMS AND SITES I DONT KNOW PERSONALLY! HOPE THERES A WORKAROUND… THANKS

  10. samlafo paul samlafo paul

    i can not identify this pictures .i think most of them are not my friends

  11. Melissa L Melissa L

    I am in the same boat. I am still locked out going on a week now. And I don’t think I will be able to get back in until they either provide a different way (like using the security questions we all supplied), or a way to contact them to validate directly.

  12. Renee VanNorman Renee VanNorman

    OMG, I have been locked out of logging in for F’in 3 WEEKS… same problem as Denise. I linked my fb to my new mobile phone and ever since; no luck. After correctly entering the security words I get a photo-captcha prompt, and the image is only on the screen a split second! No way to do anything but sit there dumbfounded that it happened once again, grrrrrrr. Has anyone had any success with face-less’ support contacting them or helping in any way?

  13. foundthisone (Frank) foundthisone (Frank)

    @Renee,
    no, as a matter of fact, I wrote them an email about 3 days ago when it happened to me and I still have not heard from them! If it only happens for a split second (which doesn’t sound right, something isn’t working right! My photos stayed on screen until I answered who it was), then take a screen shot as soon as it happens. I’ll tell ya, if I had not gotten my account back? I would NOT have made another account! I vowed not to! I think that if everyone sends them an email expressing our disapproval of this security feature, they will listen after awhile. If you want it to change, everyone, write them an email with the subject: WE DISAPPROVE
    The subject CANNOT be any different for the intent that they will see that we are all coming from the same group. Then spread this same message to everyone you know on FB. Even people that this hasn’t happened to! Have them do the same thing! But the subject HAS to be the same so they will take notice of it! Let’s do this!

  14. denise denise

    WOW…IT happened !! I got back ON !! Yes !! Out of No where …it worked..! The pictures slowed down enough for me to identify. Now I am back On .
    Facebook never wrote me back..never sent anything. I just logged on for the 5th time today, and it worked. NOW..I have been locked out for over a month.
    Good Luck…That really Sucked.

  15. MOe MOe

    i hate this soo much. yet another crap idea from facebook

  16. Jeff Jeff

    stupidest security idea ever! I’d have to let this person go for never testing how this works. If they had only asked me for my friends profile pictures that would be reasonable. In this case it will even ask you about any picture that any of your friends have highlighted. We should have everyone in facebook do this as a way of getting their paycheck.

  17. reymart reymart

    ….I have so many important friends in there but this is what happen to my account.. how can I unlock my account..can anybody help me..?

  18. jukio jukio

    why did they put this kind of locking account I can’t open my facebook…

  19. foundthisone (Frank) foundthisone (Frank)

    @Reymart, look at my posts for tips on how to get your account back!

  20. I am locked out of my account also. I can’t identify any of these people it’s showing me as I’ve added people I don’t know to play the games. I WILL NOT be making another account…facebook is stupid for putting this on their site.

  21. reymart reymart

    @foundthisone—>> hi where did you post your TIPS..? can you help me to unlock my account..?

  22. foundthisone (Frank) foundthisone (Frank)

    Look for my post above labeled from the date and time of:
    1/Aug/2010 at 07:08
    I used the name Frank
    It’s not “the” solution but it will definetly help!

  23. James Wylde James Wylde

    I have been locked out for over a month !!! I have sent countless emails to FB Jerks ….. I play Mafia Wars I have 1537 friends .. even if I knew them I would know their frikkin photo albums .. the IDIOT who thought this up is a LOOSER ./…

    why should we know photo albums ???? fricking nuts

    I missed Vegas ,,,,,,

    I missed my pals – all beacuse I went on fricking holiday …….

  24. reymart reymart

    ….(sigh).. I name them all but it still lock….

  25. reymart reymart

    foundthisone (Frank)…. can you make my account unlock..?

    I’ll give you my account and password…… please….!!!!!

    I cant make my account back. how can I contact them I

    don’t want to creat new account because I have my

    important friends there and my family… so please

  26. reymart reymart

    foundthisone (Frank)…. can you make my account unlock..?

    I’ll give you my account and password…… please….!!!!!

    I cant make my account back. how can I contact them I

    don’t want to creat new account because I have my

    important friends there and my family… so please help me please…

    I’m beging you I know you can make it… I trust you my friend…. T_T please…

  27. foundthisone (Frank) foundthisone (Frank)

    At my email address…look at my last post

  28. abhishek abhishek

    i know a best trick to unlock accounts.
    i got in to this shit because i tried to login my account through an proxy. so i got screwed up later i found a technique to break this.
    if u want to know this mail me at
    mofo.mofo20@gmail.com

  29. Gary Woodman Gary Woodman

    None of this works here.

    I tried login from my new blackberry phone and the facebook login said it did not recognize where I was accessing from. Then when I tried to login to facebook from computer, it took me through some security questions to identify pics tagged by friends, but I cannot as I have over 2,500 friends whom joined for Mafia Wars game. Some of the pics are, like a basket of flowers. That’s just stupid, and I cannot answer the 7 questions correctly. I have searched high and low and even clicked on Change my password, which sent a new password to my e-mail, but now I can’t even access facebook from blackberry because it says invalid login/password. I am frustrated beyond belief, and cannot possibly start over building a new account. I sent an e-mail to what appears to be some kind of support desk, but reply back to my e-mail stated they cannot look at all questions and would try and solve user problems that are common. Basically, an automated non-response e-mail.
    Please help me get the security questions prompts removed from my login so I can access my account. Please help!!!

    Facebook does everything in their power to encourage and reward users for adding more friends in games within the site, but puts this impossible step in place, with absolutely no way around the problem. I guess this is the end for my Facebook.com experience. Unless they can remove this ridiculous bullcrap.

  30. Ricky Bombay Ricky Bombay

    The Idiots at Faceboof have done it again!. Mix a few kids with poor programming skills. Add lack of intelligence and planning to figure out the repercusions of what they do and poof! you get this pathetic attempt at security that does nothing buy annoy your users. And worse, keep them from coming back and sponsor your advertisers!.

  31. jukio jukio

    w0w dami nang na block nang tang inang facebook na yan…

  32. boooooooooooooooo boooooooooooooooo

    UTTER PHAIL
    FIX IT!!!! NAO!!!!

    Just FIX IT FACEBOOK —–

  33. Mixxir Mixxir

    Well, add me to the growing list of lock outs. What an utter fail for an internet company. This one will be taught at schools in the future of how NOT to do it. It will be right after the “Why ebay failed” class!!

  34. doug doug

    it sucks. and they are apparently ignoring all these posts. even the high level security financial institutiions allow you to choose your own security questions. but i find this kind of thing happening all the time and not only with facebook. If you travel a lot with your notebook like i do, sometimes 15 or 20 countries in a year, you are totally screwed as everyplace you log in registers as “suspicious.”

  35. Fukkkkkkkkkk i locked out of facebook because i tried to log in with a proxy at school and i get pictures of walls and stuff WTF facebook

  36. Thank you for this amazing report. It was very helpful to me and to the one who read this page. You truly is a expert writer!

  37. What are Facebook’s authenticity guidelines?
    People on Facebook want to interact with their real friends and the people they know in the real world. Since accounts that impersonate anyone or anything can damage the integrity of this environment, Facebook doesn’t allow fake profiles (timelines) for celebrities, pets, ideas, or inanimate objects.

    In addition, Facebook accounts are meant for individual use. Joint accounts can create a privacy risk for every person involved, since others cannot privately contact only one member of a shared profile (timeline).

    If you want to create a presence for someone or something other than yourself, here are a few other options:
    People trying to promote their brand or business can create Pages. Pages are public profiles that offer features more relevant to companies or celebrities. Learn more about Pages.
    If you would like to represent an idea, group or club, the Groups application allows people with common interests to come together to discuss, share, and organize.
    Pet lovers may find it easier to represent their pets through Platform applications. Many offer similar functionality to Facebook profiles (timelines).

  38. this is so f…ing stupid…i have 1000 friends..how am i supposed to remember each ones face?

  39. Yua Yua

    So many responses, but no one come with solutions. I’m currently having the same problem. Please, help. I’m tired trying to identify photos that don’t even belong to my friends. They were only tagged.

Leave a Reply