Request for Position: Web Environment Integrity API · Issue #852 · mozilla/standards-positions
github.com
Request for Mozilla Position on an Emerging Web Specification Specification Title: Web Environment Integrity API Specification or proposal URL (if available): https://rupertbenwiser.github.io/Web-E...
    • Pogogunner@kbin.social
      6·
      1 year ago

      Google (The company behind Chrome) wants to create a type of DRM for web pages. Google claims that this will help with things like bot traffic, spam, etc.

      Mozilla (The company behind firefox) is opposed to creating this DRM because it has no benefit to the end user and is likely to be harmful to the openness of the internet.

      • HurlingDurling@lemm.ee
        4·
        1 year ago

        Not just chrome, but also the lead contributor to chromium (the underlying system in Edge, Brave, etc.)

        • ocassionallyaduck@lemmy.world
          2·
          1 year ago

          Somewhat. Webstandards are voted upon, and I believe Mozilla is part of those organizations.

          However Google could always choose to ignore web standards and do what they want. And due to their massive market dominance this would effectively enforce this overnight for over half of the internet.

          The reason they may not, is the EU would take them to court over that. The US no longer believes in stopping companies from ruining shit though.

      • Whirlybird@aussie.zoneEnglish
        0·
        1 year ago

        The only real benefit to users that I can think of is that it could eliminate the need for captchas.

          • Whirlybird@aussie.zoneEnglish
            0·
            1 year ago

            If the point is so websites can trust that you’re a person then the captchas aren’t needed.

            • zaplachi@lemmy.caEnglish
              1·
              1 year ago

              But how can it trust you’re a person when it just confirms that you’re running an in-modified site. It takes a hash of the site, then make sure your local view of the website matches that hash.

              This disables add blockers, custom css, etc; but I don’t see how this standard would prevent bots…

              • Whirlybird@aussie.zoneEnglish
                01·
                1 year ago

                It’s not just checking that you’re running in an un-modified OS, that’s just one part of it.

                It doesn’t disable ad-blockers or custom css btw. And anyway, websites can already detect when you’re using an ad-blocker and not show you their content. This isn’t needed for that.

    • CrypticCoffee@lemmy.mlEnglish
      2·
      1 year ago

      If you aren’t using Firefox yet. Start, ASAP.

      Google tried to exert control on the internet with web manifest v3 and now again here. Letting google dictate web standards is a mistake. Using Firefox shows companies they need to support more than chrome.

    • ssddanbrown@kbin.social
      1·
      1 year ago

      Google wants to add a feature to the browser where a website can (in a fairly confident and secure way) ask about key facts about the browser environment in the name of security. The kinds of details may be like: What is the browser in use? Has the browser been altered? Are certain plugins active? What kind of OS is in use?
      The exact details aren’t really defined yet, but the idea is to be able to provide confidence via answers to these types of questions to the website so they can make decisions based upon these details.

      People are (very much rightly) strongly against this since it will only really result in locking down web functionality to environments in the name of security, and there will be a lot of collateral damage in the process while helping browser monopolization.
      Using this, websites could lock their use to certain browsers (much more than what’s already possible). Websites could prevent access if certain plugins are enabled (think privacy or adblocking plugins). Websites could prevent access to linux users because “they’re probably hackers”.

      Ultimately, this represents a big change into the insight & power a website has in regards to the user browser environment, and is a big risk to the open web, hence why Mozilla are against it.

    • karrbs@kbin.social
      01·
      1 year ago

      I don’t know how technical you are but it looks likes this is a security token api to validate the trust of the environment. I believe that google is trying to propose a universal standard for everyone to use.

      I think Firefox is standing negative because they want choice not 1 standard. This is the best I can do without going down a rabbit hole

      Edit: link to another post

      https://beehaw.org/post/6801832

  • Vej@lemm.eeEnglish
    0·
    1 year ago

    Google is so big that it can’t be avoided. They shouldn’t have a monopoly on the internet. I am surprised they haven’t been hit by anti trust laws along with the other big tech.*

    • YⓄ乙 @aussie.zoneEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      They get hit by anti trust every day but for Google its just cost of doing business. Google is bigger and powerful than some government so Googs don’t give 2 shits about anti trust.