Bringing to life the absurdity of online humanity tests, World has brought internet captcha tests to life in an international out-of-home campaign.

World is a secure, privacy-first way for people to prove they are real humans online. Its World ID is an anonymous proof of humanity which means people don’t need to take part in captcha tests. Instead, they can prove their humanity with World. 

To bring to life the brand’s ethos, a new campaign from Iris London sees the brand poke fun at outdated online humanity tests. The ubiquitous online tests which see humans forced to click on squares of bikes, traffic lights or fire hydrants in order to prove they are human beings.

The campaign titled ‘Real World Captchas’ is made up of oversized captcha-style image grids that have been installed in real locations in Singapore, Berlin and Buenos Aires. The grids have been placed in front of objects usually used in captcha tests such as traffic lights and street signs. 

The installations are designed to stop people in their tracks and encourage them to reflect on the absurdity of current verification testing. With bots growing more common online, humans are forced to take part in processes that slow down the online experience. The campaign aims to bring this digital frustration to life and show how silly it is that people are being forced to prove that they are human.

“Proving you’re human is becoming increasingly important online – but the ways we do it are increasingly irritating and, even worse, ineffective.” explains John Patroulis, Chief Marketing Officer, Tools For Humanity, a contributor to World.

He continues: “World ID is a simple and anonymous proof of humanity built for the age of AI. To make people aware of it, we reminded them just how ridiculous the current method actually is. The best ideas are simple and surprising. With real world captchas, we’re trying to capture attention with something as playful as it is provocative.” 

At the base of each installation a message reads: ‘there’s a better way to prove you’re human’. A scannable QR code directs passersby to World ID, a digital identity that enables people to verify they’re real and unique humans, without sharing any personal data.

Bringing to life a shared frustration to underline the need for new processes, World uses creativity to demonstrate an understanding of its customers, pointing them to an easier alternative.