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Security·1 min read

Helix Replaces Captchas With a Four-Digit Voice Check

US startup Helix has raised $6.2 million to verify humans by voice instead of captchas or ID photos. Users read four digits aloud, and the check runs on the phone.

A person speaking four digits into a smartphone to verify their identity with a voice check instead of a captcha.
Image: t3n Magazin
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The US startup Helix wants to replace captchas, ID photos and video identification with a short voice sample. The company has raised $6.2 million in a funding round, according to its announcement, to push its Voice ID technology, which is meant to tell humans from bots before they use a website.

To verify, users read out four digits. According to Helix, the process takes about four seconds and combines biometric security with low cost and little effort. For privacy reasons, the technology is designed to run locally on the smartphone, so no personal data ends up on a server.

Why Helix is moving away from captchas

Captchas are meant to keep bots out, but they are widely seen as neither user-friendly nor accessible. ID copies with photos and video identification, the usual alternatives, are poor for privacy. Helix CEO Alex Oberg says the idea grew out of consumers' fear of data theft, and he expects it to become increasingly important to distinguish people from AI agents.

The startup, which is advised by Siri co-inventor Dag Kittlaus, sees uses in ticketing, dating, gaming and fintech. Platforms can integrate the system through a software development kit, or with a single line of code entered in Claude Code or OpenAI Codex.

Age estimation and limits

Helix says the solution can also estimate a user's age. That could matter for social media platforms, which may soon need such verification as regulation tightens.

There is a limit, though: the system cannot yet identify AI agents in live calls, the company says. Kittlaus told TechCrunch that voice recognition technology has now matured to the point where it works reliably.

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Tags:helixvoice idcaptchabot protectionage verificationstartup

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