CAPTCHAs don't prove you're human – they prove you're American

CAPTCHAs designed by American companies like Google often embed cultural assumptions—such as identifying yellow taxis or American currency—that disadvantage non-American users and fail to universally prove humanity. The author illustrates this problem through personal examples, including struggling with CAPTCHA challenges based on American-specific knowledge while also noting that such tests may become increasingly problematic for AI systems trained on biased data. Rather than validating human identity, these tests primarily validate familiarity with American culture.