I've been complaining to Kaiser Permanente for years, ever since
they first advertised their Web site for members, which has *never*
worked from lynx. Just within the last week, for the very first
time, somebody in their Tier2 web sup****t got back to me by e-mail
to ask what I was complaining about. I'm still waiting to see
whether they will actually do anything to fix the problem. AFAIC
they have been in violation of both the ADA and also Section 508
(1986) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 ever since they published
their Web site (about 8-10 years ago as best I can reckon).
So anyway, a few weeks ago I learned for the first time about the
law/regulation that any company that gets funding from the Federal
government is required to provide equivalent access to *any*
service whatsoever, including Web sites, if it doesn't require an
undue burden on them. Clearly replacing JavaScript pseudo-links
with real HTML links <a href="...url...">label</a> would be a
trivial change, almost no cost at all, right? So they should be
required to make their Web site accessible.
So after replying to their e-mail of this afternoon, I then did
some online research to get more evidence that they really really
do need to comply with the law. In the process of collecting that
evidence, I learned about the distinction between those two laws
(which I mentionned above). Also I found a really nice Web site
that however had one typo that I wanted to re****t to the author.
Here's where the straw of inaccessibility broke my camel's back:
First I clicked on the Contact link on the Web site, and learned
that i could submit feedback by a Web form or by regular e-mail. I
tried the Web form first. I verified the SUBMIT button was POST
method of HTTP rather than JavaScript, then I filled out the form
with my name and e-mail address and this message text (bounded by
rows of back/forward slants):
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
I like your Web site, but I want to re****t this typo:
<http://jimthatcher.com/webcourse4.htm>
There are lots of people with physical disabilities that are not able
to usa a mouse. ...
Typo: e
I'm looking at your Web site, and others, to research a possible lawsuit
against Kaiser Permanente because for the past eight or ten years,
ever since they first put up a Web site for members, it's been
inaccessible
via lynx, hence inaccessible to me from home. Do you know any agencies
that
would help me pursue such a lawsuit? I have no money to even buy food much
less pay for services of a lawyer. I'm in Sunnyvale, California.
Please see also <http://www.rawbw.com/~rem/NewPub/mySituation.html>
///////////////////////////////////////
So then I clicked on the submit button, but it bombed. So then I
added the addendenum below to the original message above and
e-mailed the combination to the address given in the Web site,
namely jim@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
tried to submit my comment (above) via your Web form:
File that you are currently viewing
Linkname: Contact Jim Thatcher
URL: http://jimthatcher.com/contact.htm
Link that you currently have selected
Linkname: Send Email
Method: POST
Enctype: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
Action: http://jimthatcher.com/cgi-sys/FormMail.cgi
but when I clicked the submit link "Send Email", I got this error page:
There are missing fields!
recipient is missing
Form Dump:
email: .......calrobert@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
message: I like your Web site, but I want to re****t this typo:
<http://jimthatcher.com/webcourse4.htm>
There are lots of people with
physical disabilities that are not able to usa a mouse. ... Typo: e
I'm looking at your Web site, and others, to research a possible
lawsuit against Kaiser Permanente because for the past eight or ten
years, ever since they first put up a Web site for members, it's been
inaccessible via lynx, hence inaccessible to me from home. Do you know
any agencies that would help me pursue such a lawsuit? I have no money
to even buy food much less pay for services of a lawyer. I'm in
Sunnyvale, California. Please see also
<http://www.rawbw.com/~rem/NewPub/mySituation.html>
realname: Robert Maas
redirect: http://www.jimthatcher.com/contact_done.html
required: realname,email,message
subject: Comments from JimThatcher.com
submit: Send Email
///////////////////////////////////////
His SMTP server accepted the message immediately. A few minutes
later I checked my mailbox, and found there was already a reply
from him. Wow, what fast service I mistakenly thought for a few
seconds until I saw the text of his speedy reply:
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Date Sat, 19 Jul 2008 1:43 AM ( 7 mins 30 secs ago )
From "Jim" <jimthatcher@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
To ......calrobert@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject RE: Typo on your Web page, and your contact form totally
broken. (verification) (jimt: message 1 of 3)
Sender Verification
Hi,
I am using Spam Arrest to guard against tons of unwanted email
messages (spam). This system requires new email addresses (ones I have
not sent email to or that haven't gone throught this process before)
to go through a very short verification process. Please click on the
link below where you will be asked to type in letters from a pictured
word (a CAPTCHA). If you are blind you will have to listen to the
letters or call me (512-306-0931) and I will manually enable your
email address. Sorry for this extreme action. The good news is you
won't have to do this a second time.
Please click the link below to complete the verification process.
You have to do this only once.
http://www.spamarrest.com/a2?ZGZ3ZQHjAQcdnJ10YwZhL2Sfpz9vMKW0DUAjLJ1ao
3IloJI0YzAioGcXnJ0j
You are receiving this message in response to your email to Jim, a
Spam Arrest customer.
Spam Arrest requests that senders verify themselves before their email
is delivered.
When you click the above link, you will be taken to a page with a
graphic on it. Simply read the word in the graphic, type it into the
form, and you're verified.
You have to do this only once per Spam Arrest customer.
------------------------------------------------------------
Below are the complete headers of the message that this email was
generated in response to.
Return-path: <JoeJobReturnPathEvidence@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Envelope-to: jim@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:42:07 -0500
Received: from shell.rawbw.com
([198.144.192.42]:4746 helo=YahooGroups.Com ident=rem)
by host.yoursoftdns5.com with smtp (Exim 4.69)
(envelope-from <JoeJobReturnPathEvidence@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>)
id 1KK80x-0003Nm-Lc
for jim@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:42:06 -0500
To: jim@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
.......calrobert@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Typo on your Web page, and your contact form totally broken.
Received-SPF: none(spamgourmet.com: spamgourmet.com does not designate
permitte
d sender hosts)
///////////////////////////////////////
One slight problem: It's not possible for me to see "graphics" via
Lynx over VT100 dialup, but it's also not possible for me to listen
to sound over VT100 dialup. So he provides no way for me to
communicate with him to complain to him about his denial of equal
access to me on the basis of my disablility and low income. He
leaves me no recourse except to post a public rebuke of him in the
relevant newsgroups.
If anybody knows how to get in contact with that ****ing hypocrite...
By the way, here's what I see when I click on the verification link
from the e-mail:
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Spam Arrest Take Control of Your Inbox
Sender Verification
Please type the verification code into the box below
and click the "verify" button to approve the delivery
of your email. You will not need to do this again.
Thank you, Jim
Verification Code:
(type these letters into the box below) If you cannot see the word,
click the link below to listen to it
If you cannot see the word,
Click here to listen to it.
Enter Verification Code: ____________________ Verify
Send me an email confirming my verification [_]
SENDER AGREEMENT - By clicking the "VERIFY" button above, and in
consideration for Spam Arrest, LLC forwarding your e-mail (and any
e-mails you may send in the future) to the intended recipient (the
"Recipient"), you agree to be bound by the following Sender Agreement:
You represent and warrant to Spam Arrest and the Recipient that any
e-mail you desire to send to the Recipient is not "unsolicited
commercial e-mail" i.e., the e-mail does not primarily contain an
advertisement or promotion of a commercial product, service or Web
site; unless the Recipient expressly consented to receive the message,
either in response to a clear and conspicuous request for such consent
or at the Recipient's own initiative. Further, you represent and
warrant that your transmission of any e-mail does not violate any
local, state or federal law governing the transmission of unsolicited
commercial e-mail, including, but not limited to, RCW <A7> 19.190.020
or
the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003. You understand and acknowledge that it is
fair and reasonable that you agree to abide by the restrictions set
forth in this agreement. You acknowledge and agree that this agreement
is central to Spam Arrest's decision to forward your e-mails to the
Recipient. Accordingly, if you violate this agreement, Spam Arrest and
the Recipient shall be entitled to (1) tem****ary and/or permanent
injunctive relief to restrain any further breaches or violations of
this agreement; and (2) damages in the amount of two thousand dollars
($2,000.00) for each violation of this agreement. You acknowledge that
such remedies are appropriate and reasonable in light of the costs and
expenses Spam Arrest incurs as a result of eradicating and filtering
unsolicited commercial e-mail. You acknowledge that the $2000.00
remedy is a reasonable estimate of Spam Arrest's and the Recipient's
actual damages. This agreement is governed by the laws of the State of
Wa****ngton and the exclusive venue for any action related to this
agreement shall be held in the state and federal courts located in
Wa****ngton. You hereby waive any right to object to venue or
jurisdiction based on inconvenient forum, lack of personal
jurisdiction or for any other reason.
english
chinese
dutch
french
german
italian
japanese
korean
****tuguese
spanish
taiwanese
///////////////////////////////////////
So do you see any verification code in what appears on-screen via lynx?
As to how it is possible to separate humans form spammers more fairly:
Click on the "Contact me" link on *my* WebPage to see a way to tell
a human from a spambot without discriminating against lynx users.
Caveat: It's just a first draft of such a Turing test, multiple
choice instead of fill-in, so I suppose a spider that is exploring
Web pages will eventually explore all branches of that two-level
tree and discover the mailto: links two levels deep in there. I
wanted to get a basic sketch of the system up&running in less than
a day and worry about making it elaborate later when I have time.
See also here for lots of variants on that basic idea and other
vaguely similar ideas:
<http://www.google.com/search?q=%22Nobody+in+their+right+mind+likes+spammers,+nor+their+automated+assistants.%22&num=100&hl=en&lr=&as_qdr=all&ie=UTF-8&filter=0>
= <http://tinyurl.com/6acrl6>
:none of those yet implemented, except that one (actually two)
finally implemented this past week as noted above.
Here's another new one I haven't published before:
-
Nobody in their right mind likes spammers, nor their automated assistants.
To open an account here, you must demonstrate you're not one of them.
Please spend a few seconds to try to read the text-picture in this box:
/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------\
| o_|__|_| _ |_ |_| |o_|__|_| _ (~| _ |_ _(~| _ |_ _ _ ._o._
(~||
|_| | | |}_ |_) _| || | | |}_) _|(_) |_)}_ _| (_| | |}_(_|| || |
_|o
\----(Rendered by means of
<http://www.schnoggo.com/figlet.html>)-------------/
(You don't need JavaScript or images to see that ASCII-text image!!
You just need to view this in a fixed-pitch font such as Monaco.)
Then enter your best guess of the text (30-40 chars) into this TextField:
+----------------------------------------+
| |
+----------------------------------------+
|
