Why Vivaldi browser thinks Google’s new proposal, the Web-Environment-Integrity spec, is a major threat to the open web and should be pushed back.

Will accessibility tools that rely on automating input to the browser cause it to become untrusted? Will it affect extensions? The spec does currently specify a carveout for browser modifications and extensions, but those can make automating interactions with a website trivial. So, either the spec is useless or restrictions will eventually be applied there too.

  • AnonymousLlama@kbin.social
    39·
    1 year ago

    The Firefox team responded saying that it’s an awful idea and that plenty of people rely on being able to appear human, for example screen readers who need to interact as a human would but then translates it into a format their users can understand.

    These propositions are just full of drawbacks for the user, the user actually gains nothing at all. Let’s hope this rubbish doesn’t take a foothold.

    • SkepticElliptic@beehaw.org
      9·
      1 year ago

      The biggest issue I see is not being able to block malicious scripts from running. An all or nothing approach is a terrible terrible idea.

    • exussum@lemmy.world
      5·
      1 year ago

      Even if you were to diminish any valid reasons to not add this DRM feature, what are the actual reasons they think are pro consumer?

  • Qualanqui@lemmy.nzEnglish
    303·
    1 year ago

    Just goes to show, google is an ad company first and foremost and they’re in the process of cutting out any competition to their dominance.

    Props too to Vivaldi for blowing the whistle as they have access to all the upcoming chromium builds being a fork.

    • sanpo@sopuli.xyzEnglish
      37·
      1 year ago

      They didn’t blow any whistles, the proposal was public and lots of people spoke out against it already.

      Besides, I like Vivaldi, but they’re part of the problem.
      The only reason this discussion is happening is because everyone and their grandma decided it’s a great idea to re-skin a browser built by an ad-company and expect them not to abuse their position.

      • Qualanqui@lemmy.nzEnglish
        91·
        1 year ago

        I agree with you, I’d love to live in the world where Vivaldi chose Gecko instead of Chromium, but we’ve only got the cards we’ve been dealt so at least the Vivaldi team are always very vocal about this and have always said they’re going to work around Google’s more draconian decisions.

        • Trarmp@feddit.nlEnglish
          4·
          1 year ago

          I just want WebKit for windows :(

          It has a bunch of fine browsers on Linux, why isn’t there a decent GTK port for windows?