this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2023
24 points (100.0% liked)

DeGoogle Yourself

12942 readers
52 users here now

A community for those that would like to get away from Google.

Here you may post anything related to DeGoogling, why we should do it or good software alternatives!

Rules

  1. Be respectful even in disagreement

  2. No advertising unless it is very relevent and justified. Do not do this excessively.

  3. No low value posts / memes. We or you need to learn, or discuss something.

Related communities

!privacyguides@lemmy.one !privacy@lemmy.ml !privatelife@lemmy.ml !linuxphones@lemmy.ml !fossdroid@social.fossware.space !fdroid@lemmy.ml

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
CrypticCoffee@lemmy.ml
CrypticCoffee@lemm.ee
Byereddithellolemmy@lemmy.world
chevy9294@monero.town
24
Mozilla opposes Web Integrity API proposal (github.com)
submitted 2 years ago by CrypticCoffee@lemmy.ml to c/degoogle@lemmy.ml
19 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Mozilla's position on WEI is pretty solid.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] RagingNerdoholic@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Web dev here. It enforces the original markup and code from a server to be the markup and code that the browser interprets and executes, preventing any post-loading modifications.

That sounds a bit dry, but the implications are huge. It means:

  • ad blockers won't work (the main reason for Google's ploy)
  • many, if not most, other browser extensions won't work (eg.: accessibility, theming, anti-malware)
  • people are going to start running into a lot of scam ads that ad blockers would otherwise prevent
  • malicious websites will be able to operate with impunity since you cannot run security extensions to prevent them
  • web developers are going to be crippled for lack of debugging ability

These are just a few things off the top of my head. There are endless and very dangerous implications to WEI. This is very, very bad for the web and antithesis of how it's supposed to be.

TBL is probably experiencing a sudden disturbance in the force.

[–] CrypticCoffee@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 years ago

I think you're missing the fact that if google doesn't attest for your software choice, the website could prevent access. It is google trying to take ownership of what is and isn't supported software when accessing the internet. This is far more serious that a few adverts, this could be the removal of liberty on the open web.

[–] eth0p@iusearchlinux.fyi 0 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

I'm not saying you're wrong or that Web Environment Integrity is a good thing, but a primary source and citation is needed for this statement:

It enforces the original markup and code from a server to be the markup and code that the browser interprets and executes, preventing any post-loading modifications.

[–] RagingNerdoholic@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Read between the lines, dude. Ad blockers work by observing and analyzing the DOM for elements presenting or containing ads and subsequently removing or obscuring those elements by manipulating the DOM. There's no way for WEI to carry out its purported goals without forcibly preventing DOM manipulation.

There are absolutely no conceivable benefits for users. None.

[–] eth0p@iusearchlinux.fyi 0 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

I don't disagree, and I'm personally aware of the consequences. Adding the API would be the first step, and future proposals and changes could amend it to add other environment details to tell a website that there are browser extensions that can read or modify the page.

I don't really think summarizing WEI as though it already includes those really helps people understand what WEI currently is or does, though. Nobody reads the actual documentation before repeating what they were told, and that's going to lead to the spread of factually-incorrect information. It's not a bad thing for people to be aware of the long-term issue with having a WEI API, but users' lack of understanding of WEI in its current form is just going to be used by Google as proof to dismiss dissenting feedback as FUD.

[–] RagingNerdoholic@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

I didn't read through the entire spec, but I read enough to sniff out their Trojan horseshit. I'm not regurgitating anything, I'm calling it as I see it.

This is of benefit to no one but for corporate overlords to do more overlording. It's fixing a problem that doesn't exist.

I don't know why you're trying to hard to defend one the biggest corporations on earth that decidedly not-not-evil, but if I ever need a top notch recipe for robust leather footwear, I'll be sure to call you up.