#accessibe — Public Fediverse posts

Comment on my site demonstrating deep understanding of a post and a genuine desire to engage:

“Appreciate this write-up on #accessiBe Will Get You Sued. Your explanation around accessibe is concise, and the discussion of sued adds strong context.”

@claudiocamposp
#accessiBe Will Get You Sued

https://adrianroselli.com/2020/06/accessibe-will-get-you-sued.html

Breaking Barriers: How accessiBe Redefines Web Accessibility Standards https://visualmodo.com/breaking-barriers-how-accessibe-redefines-web-accessibility-standards/ 💡🌐👍 #Accessibility #Web #accessiBe #Guide

Reminded someone that not only did #accessiBe’s overlay not help a site, it may have been a factor in the lawsuit against that site (PDF):
https://archive.org/details/gov.uscourts.pawd.316620

Paragraph 45 also takes a shot at #UserWay and #AudioEye.

Docket:
https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/56797092/MONTANO_et_al_v_RESTAURANT_EQUIPPERS,_INC

#accessibility #overlays #a11y

Reminded someone that not only did #accessiBe’s overlay not help a site, it may have been a factor in the lawsuit against that site (PDF):
https://archive.org/details/gov.uscourts.pawd.316620

Paragraph 45 also takes a shot at #UserWay and #AudioEye.

Docket:
https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/56797092/MONTANO_et_al_v_RESTAURANT_EQUIPPERS,_INC

#accessibility #overlays #a11y

Reminded someone that not only did #accessiBe’s overlay not help a site, it may have been a factor in the lawsuit against that site (PDF):
https://archive.org/details/gov.uscourts.pawd.316620

Paragraph 45 also takes a shot at #UserWay and #AudioEye.

Docket:
https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/56797092/MONTANO_et_al_v_RESTAURANT_EQUIPPERS,_INC

#accessibility #overlays #a11y

Reminded someone that not only did #accessiBe’s overlay not help a site, it may have been a factor in the lawsuit against that site (PDF):
https://archive.org/details/gov.uscourts.pawd.316620

Paragraph 45 also takes a shot at #UserWay and #AudioEye.

Docket:
https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/56797092/MONTANO_et_al_v_RESTAURANT_EQUIPPERS,_INC

#accessibility #overlays #a11y

Reminded someone that not only did #accessiBe’s overlay not help a site, it may have been a factor in the lawsuit against that site (PDF):
https://archive.org/details/gov.uscourts.pawd.316620

Paragraph 45 also takes a shot at #UserWay and #AudioEye.

Docket:
https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/56797092/MONTANO_et_al_v_RESTAURANT_EQUIPPERS,_INC

#accessibility #overlays #a11y

Woof. 5 years since I kicked off my “[overlay] Will Get You Sued” series, which helped lead to a million dollar fine earlier this year by the FTC against accessiBe for its constant lies.
https://bsky.app/profile/overlaytimeline.com/post/3lss6jbuwec27

Yes, I’m taking some credit for that.

#accessiBe #overlay #accessibility #a11y

FTC Approves Final Order Requiring accessiBe to pay $1 Million
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/04/ftc-approves-final-order-requiring-accessibe-pay-1-million
#a11y #ftc #law #accessiBe #accessiBeNot

"FTC Approves Final Order Requiring accessiBe to pay $1 Million"

That’s a big news. Overlays are bullshit. WCAG must be implemented in source code, not with that kind of magic tools.

Next, some French companies selling such unefficient tools too?

#a11y #overlays #web #accessiBe

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/04/ftc-approves-final-order-requiring-accessibe-pay-1-million

I also updated my 23,297 word post (which I expect nobody to read and lives on mostly as a testament to accessiBe’s hubris and illegal actions) “#accessiBe Will Get You Sued” (anchor link):
https://adrianroselli.com/2020/06/accessibe-will-get-you-sued.html#FTCApprovesAccessiBeFine

#accessibility #a11y

FTC decision against #accessiBe came down Tuesday and a somewhat snarky FTC blog post yesterday, so I link to both with excerpts:
https://adrianroselli.com/2025/01/ftc-catches-up-to-accessibe.html#Update02

Also included an example of where _maybe_ accessiBe might have already been misbehaving?

#overlay #a11y #accessibility

My FTC comment has been published:
https://www.regulations.gov/comment/FTC-2025-0002-0050

I made a Way Back archive:
https://web.archive.org/web/20250204152243/https://www.regulations.gov/comment/FTC-2025-0002-0050

And reproduced it on my site:
https://adrianroselli.com/2025/01/ftc-catches-up-to-accessibe.html#MyComment

#a11y #accessibility #overlay #accessiBe

There are only 45 comments so far on the FTC settlement with #accessiBe and the last day to leave comments is Wednesday, 5 February:
https://www.regulations.gov/document/FTC-2025-0002-0001

I am leaving mine later today.

Context:
https://adrianroselli.com/2025/01/ftc-catches-up-to-accessibe.html

#accessibility #a11y #overlay

Jewish Business News: “FTC Fines Israel’s AI Web Accessibility Company AccessiBe $1Million Over Deceptive Claims”
https://web.archive.org/web/20250117185134/https://jewishbusinessnews.com/2025/01/06/ftc-fines-israels-ai-web-accessibility-company-accessibe-1million-over-deceptive-claims/

I get that ¼ of the article is dedicated to statements from #accessiBe. But another ¼ for regurgitated accessiBe marketing feels a bit much.

I wrote more posts since the start of January than I wrote since September. I must be avoiding something.

1. “Updated Brief Note on Description List Support”
https://adrianroselli.com/2025/01/updated-brief-note-on-description-list-support.html

2. “FTC Catches up to #accessiBe”
https://adrianroselli.com/2025/01/ftc-catches-up-to-accessibe.html

3. “Brief Note on Figure and Figcaption Support”
https://adrianroselli.com/2025/01/brief-note-on-figure-and-figcaption-support.html

4. “aria-description Does Not Translate”
https://adrianroselli.com/2025/01/aria-description-does-not-translate.html

#html #css #accessibility #a11y

Please consider commenting to FTC about the case against AccessiBe for misleading advertising. Deadline Feb. 5.

https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/FTC-2025-0002-0001

#accessibility #a11y #wcag #accessiBe #accessiBeNot #ftc

Beware of AI Accessibility Promises: US Federal Agency Fines an Overlay Company One Million Dollars

Public can submit comments until February 5th in case against AccessiBe for misleading advertising

https://www.lflegal.com/2025/01/ftc-accessibe-million-dollar-fine/

by @LFLegal
#accessibility #a11y #wcag #accessiBe #accessiBeNot #ftc

“Beware of AI Accessibility Promises: US Federal Agency Fines an Overlay Company One Million Dollars”
https://www.lflegal.com/2025/01/ftc-accessibe-million-dollar-fine/

@LFLegal provides an overview and instructions for submitting comments to the FTC.

#accessibility #a11y #accessiBe #overlays

FTC Catches up to #accessiBe (by @aardrian) https://adrianroselli.com/2025/01/ftc-catches-up-to-accessibe.html #accessibility #a11y #wcag #accessiBe #accessiBeNot #ftc

The FTC’s comment form is now open (until 5 February):
https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/FTC-2025-0002-0001

If you want your evidence or experience with #accessiBe’s malfeasance to be on the public record, now's your chance.

#overlay #accessibility #a11y

On Friday, FTC published a $1million dollar settlement with #accessibility #overlay vendor #accessiBe over false claims & deceptive marketing.

It’s not a done deal — public comments go from today through 5 February.

I link to FTC docs & share my overall opinion:
https://adrianroselli.com/2025/01/ftc-catches-up-to-accessibe.html

FTC orders AI accessibility startup accessiBe to pay $1M for misleading advertising (by TechCrunch) https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/03/ftc-orders-ai-accessibility-startup-accessibe-to-pay-1m-for-misleading-advertising/ #law
#a11y #wcag #accessiBe #accessiBeNot #ftc

FTC Order Requires accessiBe to Pay $1 Million for Deceptive Claims that its AI Product Could Make Websites Compliant with Accessibility Guidelines

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/01/ftc-order-requires-online-marketer-pay-1-million-deceptive-claims-its-ai-product-could-make-websites

#law #a11y #wcag #accessiBe #accessiBeNot #ftc

"Sure, it’s nice to be validated by the #FTC after 5 years of shouting to anyone who will listen that #accessiBe is a net harm for the disability community. But the settlement is a pittance." // @aardrian

#WCAG #Accessibility
https://adrianroselli.com/2025/01/ftc-catches-up-to-accessibe.html

FTC Catches up to #accessiBe https://adrianroselli.com/2025/01/ftc-catches-up-to-accessibe.html

FTC Catches up to #accessiBe — Adrian Roselli https://adrianroselli.com/2025/01/ftc-catches-up-to-accessibe.html

Fine, I gathered my thoughts and some resources:
https://adrianroselli.com/2025/01/ftc-catches-up-to-accessibe.html

#accessiBe #overlays #accessibility #a11y

The news about #AccessiBe prompted me to look in on the Overlay Factsheet, an open letter to the industry, signed by accessibility specialists, assistive technology vendors, disability rights lawyers, web standards contributors, and people with disabilities:
https://overlayfactsheet.com/en/

At the time of writing it's been signed by more than 900 people.

I know many folks are aware of the class action against #accessiBe:
https://adrianroselli.com/2020/06/accessibe-will-get-you-sued.html#Sherwin

You may be unaware of a class action against #UserWay:
https://dockets.justia.com/docket/delaware/dedce/1:2024cv00844/86407

If not, anyone have access to a (tagged) PDF of the complaint?

#overlays #accessibility

This a good distillation of #accessibility #overlays:
https://chriscoyier.net/2024/07/13/its-really-this-thing-that-gets-me/

If they were actually useful, they wouldn’t need to use SLAPPs to silence detractors (#AudioEye, #Faciliti), or see their clients or themselves sued for failing to work (#accessiBe), or regularly misrepresent their relationship with standards bodies (#UserWay)

Scams upon scams.

#a11y

A couple tweets over on the hell-site this week about #overlays that came my way…

• https://twitter.com/mr_chrishinds/status/1807780708334576015
• https://twitter.com/bethannon/status/1807782839162978470

Neither disclose if the overlay is #accessiBe, #AudioEye, #Faciliti, #UserWay, or one of the others.

Oh hey, it’s #GAAD.

Be on the lookout for the (mostly corporate) performative A11yship of #GAAD which is about to fill your timelines.

A couple years ago I demonstrated #overlay companies as the worst offenders:
https://adrianroselli.com/2022/05/the-performative-a11yship-of-gaad.html

#accessiBe #AudioEye #FACILiti #LevelAccess #UserWay #accessibility #a11y

“Socks, lies, and accessibility”
https://janmaarten.com/gaad-2023/

Where @janmaarten shows that just a couple days after #accessiBe’s CEO promised to stop being such a lying liarface it went and used sock puppet Twitter accounts to promote its #overlay.

As I keep saying, past behavior is a predictor of future behavior (side-eyes #AudioEye, #UserWay, #FACILiti).

#a11y #accessibility

Updated posts to reference the FT #overlay article, all with the same content (so pick your favorite overlay)…

• #UserWay: https://adrianroselli.com/2021/09/userway-will-get-you-sued.html#FT

• #accessiBe: https://adrianroselli.com/2020/06/accessibe-will-get-you-sued.html#Update28

• #AudioEye: https://adrianroselli.com/2023/02/audioeye-will-get-you-sued.html#comment-285754

I did not add it to #FACILiti because it is not explicitly named in the post. But they are also terrible and bullies.

Thanks to @tink for first sharing the article.

#accessibility #a11y

FT article that references #AudioEye, #accessiBe, #UserWay (#LevelAccess), and #EqualWeb along with #overlays in general:
https://front-end.social/@tink/112228546128718031

Non-paywall link:
https://archive.is/MRhll

While it mischaracterizes the crappy algorithms as ‘AI’, the output is still shitty for users regardless of branding.

#accessibility #a11y

FT article that references #AudioEye, #accessiBe, #UserWay (#LevelAccess), and #EqualWeb along with #overlays in general:
https://front-end.social/@tink/112228546128718031

Non-paywall link:
https://archive.is/MRhll

While it mischaracterizes the crappy algorithms as ‘AI’, the output is still shitty for users regardless of branding.

#accessibility #a11y

FT article that references #AudioEye, #accessiBe, #UserWay (#LevelAccess), and #EqualWeb along with #overlays in general:
https://front-end.social/@tink/112228546128718031

Non-paywall link:
https://archive.is/MRhll

While it mischaracterizes the crappy algorithms as ‘AI’, the output is still shitty for users regardless of branding.

#accessibility #a11y

FT article that references #AudioEye, #accessiBe, #UserWay (#LevelAccess), and #EqualWeb along with #overlays in general:
https://front-end.social/@tink/112228546128718031

Non-paywall link:
https://archive.is/MRhll

While it mischaracterizes the crappy algorithms as ‘AI’, the output is still shitty for users regardless of branding.

#accessibility #a11y

FT article that references #AudioEye, #accessiBe, #UserWay (#LevelAccess), and #EqualWeb along with #overlays in general:
https://front-end.social/@tink/112228546128718031

Non-paywall link:
https://archive.is/MRhll

While it mischaracterizes the crappy algorithms as ‘AI’, the output is still shitty for users regardless of branding.

#accessibility #a11y

@koos It’s an #overlay. It may not lie as openly as #UserWay (#LevelAccess) or #accessiBe, and it may not file frivolous lawsuits like #AudioEye, but Eye-Able introduces WCAG violations and does not fix much. You can read the discussion around trying to get itself delisted from the Overlay Fact Sheet a few months ago:
https://github.com/karlgroves/overlayfactsheet/issues/1086

FWIW, most overlay companies also do manual work. But Eye-Able’s own errors demonstrate it likely isn’t good at that either.

#accessibility #a11y

Sharing a LinkedIn (ugh) post because it hits at core concerns over the marketing- and revenue-driven models of the (abled) corporate efforts supplanting genuine #accessibility in favor of inadequate tools pitched using FUD, now buying veneers of credibility despite often amoral actions:

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7159537701438865408/

By @fedbysandrine
#a11y #overlay #AudioEye #accessiBe #UserWay #FACILiti

Remember…

• #accessiBe Will Get You Sued: https://adrianroselli.com/2020/06/accessibe-will-get-you-sued.html

• #UserWay Will Get You Sued: https://adrianroselli.com/2021/09/userway-will-get-you-sued.html

• #FACILiti Will Get You Sued: https://adrianroselli.com/2022/03/faciliti-will-get-you-sued.html

• #AudioEye Will Get You Sued: https://adrianroselli.com/2023/02/audioeye-will-get-you-sued.html

All those #overlays posts, with the exception of the AudioEye one owing to now-past legal action, get regular updates to be current.

I appreciate that IAAP and the European Disability Forum essentially said #overlays are shit back in May:
https://www.edf-feph.org/accessibility-overlays-dont-guarantee-compliance-with-european-legislation/

But IAAP allows overlays as members, so it kind of undercuts the message (and assures I will not join).

Which is why I am happy the European Commission has confirmed #overlays are shit:
https://commission.europa.eu/resources-partners/europa-web-guide/design-content-and-development/accessibility/testing-early-and-regularly/accessibility-overlays_en

#accessibility #a11y #accessiBe #accessiWay #adally #AudioEye #EqualWeb #FACILiti #MaxAccess #PolodaAI #PurpleLens #User1st #UserWay

I appreciate that IAAP and the European Disability Forum essentially said #overlays are shit back in May:
https://www.edf-feph.org/accessibility-overlays-dont-guarantee-compliance-with-european-legislation/

But IAAP allows overlays as members, so it kind of undercuts the message (and assures I will not join).

Which is why I am happy the European Commission has confirmed #overlays are shit:
https://commission.europa.eu/resources-partners/europa-web-guide/design-content-and-development/accessibility/testing-early-and-regularly/accessibility-overlays_en

#accessibility #a11y #accessiBe #accessiWay #adally #AudioEye #EqualWeb #FACILiti #MaxAccess #PolodaAI #PurpleLens #User1st #UserWay

I appreciate that IAAP and the European Disability Forum essentially said #overlays are shit back in May:
https://www.edf-feph.org/accessibility-overlays-dont-guarantee-compliance-with-european-legislation/

But IAAP allows overlays as members, so it kind of undercuts the message (and assures I will not join).

Which is why I am happy the European Commission has confirmed #overlays are shit:
https://commission.europa.eu/resources-partners/europa-web-guide/design-content-and-development/accessibility/testing-early-and-regularly/accessibility-overlays_en

#accessibility #a11y #accessiBe #accessiWay #adally #AudioEye #EqualWeb #FACILiti #MaxAccess #PolodaAI #PurpleLens #User1st #UserWay

I appreciate that IAAP and the European Disability Forum essentially said #overlays are shit back in May:
https://www.edf-feph.org/accessibility-overlays-dont-guarantee-compliance-with-european-legislation/

But IAAP allows overlays as members, so it kind of undercuts the message (and assures I will not join).

Which is why I am happy the European Commission has confirmed #overlays are shit:
https://commission.europa.eu/resources-partners/europa-web-guide/design-content-and-development/accessibility/testing-early-and-regularly/accessibility-overlays_en

#accessibility #a11y #accessiBe #accessiWay #adally #AudioEye #EqualWeb #FACILiti #MaxAccess #PolodaAI #PurpleLens #User1st #UserWay

I appreciate that IAAP and the European Disability Forum essentially said #overlays are shit back in May:
https://www.edf-feph.org/accessibility-overlays-dont-guarantee-compliance-with-european-legislation/

But IAAP allows overlays as members, so it kind of undercuts the message (and assures I will not join).

Which is why I am happy the European Commission has confirmed #overlays are shit:
https://commission.europa.eu/resources-partners/europa-web-guide/design-content-and-development/accessibility/testing-early-and-regularly/accessibility-overlays_en

#accessibility #a11y #accessiBe #accessiWay #adally #AudioEye #EqualWeb #FACILiti #MaxAccess #PolodaAI #PurpleLens #User1st #UserWay

#AccessibilityOverlay question:

Today during my user testing, it happened that the widget button disappeared after making changes in the #accessiBe widget and then navigating the website. For example, the participant navigated from the Home to the About page. As soon as they reached the About page, the widget was gone. Only after reloading the website did the widget appear again, but 50% of the time, the changes made were lost.

Has anybody else experienced the same thing? We used Chrome. 🤔