"Web Environment Integrity" is an all-out attack on the free Internet — Free Software Foundation — Working together for free software
"Web Environment Integrity" is an all-out attack on the free Internet — Free Software Foundation — Working together for free software
Once upon a time, Google's official policy was "don't be evil." With the rapid progress they've made on Web Environment Integrity in such a short time, we can say very safely that their policy is now to pioneer evil.
Well said
How does the quote go, "die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain" what a shameful fall for Google
Use Firefox.
Google can only act like this because of their market share.
What confuses me is how Microsoft tried this with Internet Explorer, only allowing Windows tech support on IE. To this day Microsoft forces reinstalls of Edge and only begrudgingly allows for non-edge integration because browser installers force it by twiddling with the registry.
No one wants to be force fed ads, and as YouTube has demonstrated, Google can't help itself and will push the envelope of public patience. Sooner than that, I suspect angry Linux engineers will crack through WEI so that every system with their patch looks like a bare bones Chrome terminal.
We still should block this effort of we can, and push the notion that Google is not being a good-faith custodian of the net, and should be broken up via antitrust laws. Bit ultimately it will do what the UK and red-state anti-porn laws are doing, driving the rest of us underground along with the Anarchists, Lunatics and Terrorists.
And what can we do about it to prevent it?
Refuse to use sites/applications that implement it. Embrace the hardship this may create as worth the price.
Unless you also convince the rest of the world to do the same, it's not gonna work.
It's gonna be like with mobile apps, where sure you can root your phone, or use a degoogled android rom, but then your bank will refuse to let you use their app (right now one can still use their website, but if this passes...), and a bunch of other things won't work by design.
Me boycotting my bank's app, or other root-averse apps, or non-google-android-rom averse apps, never stopped them from continuing to do what they do.
Also waste their time by sending feedback that you're boycotting them and why. That's more money they'll lose having to read and respond to emails etc. If you get a bot response just keep casually replying to the email until a person responds.
I don't want to live on this planet anymore.
A nice, optimistic song on the same topic: