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Web Environment Integrity API Proposal

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Re: Web Environment Integrity API Proposal

#361
post #205
post #72

It's time to break Google up. They're the AT&T and Standard Oil of our generation. Make Ads, YouTube, Search, Cloud, Chrome, etc. all independent companies. Demand that antitrust regulators do their damn jobs for a change.

Let's just think this through: Google Cloud becomes a VC driven organization that slowly eats margin dirt against it's competitors until insolvency. There was no way for it to recover enough resources from the mothership before being split out. Search trundles along ok, assuming it took search ads and a ton of core infra with it, but it never makes enough money to ship a decent product extension. It hopefully removes…

> The economy takes a big dive as a result, as half the world loses email access regularly, bills don't get paid, etc.

Now you have me excited for this possibility. Doubly so if people stock up on ingredients for high explosives first. Take what you can while the taking is good: no room for repo men. Year 0 now.

> feels like the 90s again

I can't wait.

> amazon, apple, microsoft, and cloudflare are the biggest winners in the fallout

Sadly, that's true. Google's remains can only be cannibalized by companies that are already Google-sized.

Re: Web Environment Integrity API Proposal

#362
post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can by not using Google products. Change the search for ddg or kagi. Change your email for proton. Use Dropbox instead. Remove Chrome, live with iceweasel or Firefox. It is not like you'll be loosing much. This is the time to change, while we still have other players in the market.

No, you can't - not until you get a significant part of the world's population to join your protest. The point is that if chrome implements this, netflix, amazon, facebook etc might decide they'll use this feature and only permit browsers who implement this to use this site. Even if the only browser that does so is chrome, that's fine because chrome's market share is big enough that they can ignore the rest. Have fun…

>The point is that if chrome implements this, netflix, amazon, facebook etc might decide they'll use this feature and only permit browsers who implement this to use this site.

Works for me. I don't need those sites/services. If they want to be actively hostile to me, I can vote with my feet/wallet.

I can't (nor do I wish to) control what other people do. Just what I do.

As it stands now, I block the bulk of scripts/ads/trackers/other spyware on my devices, and those who don't like that are free to block me from accessing their sites.

Maybe I'm missing something important here, but I don't need anything from Alphabet, Netflix, Meta or any other rapacious corporation. They can do what they like, and I will do the same.

>Have fun using Firefox if half of the web locks you out or treats you like a second class citizen.

If the above folks are who you consider "half the web" then, at least for me, nothing of value would be lost, as I don't use that garbage anyway.

Re: Web Environment Integrity API Proposal

#363
post #147

I think "don't use Chrome" is really not the best way to fight this - instead, make it known. Get out to as many people as possible that this thing exists, spread awareness, explain the consequences, make a stink. Google is absolutely in a position to implement this and I figure a good number of sites would immediately join. However, the image of "tech" is tarnished enough already and the general population is more a…

[dead]

Re: Web Environment Integrity API Proposal

#364

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This just seems like a generic “oh people might hate this proposal here’s a place where we mention this”, not a response to the question asked above.

Why isn't it a response to the question above asked? The question above seems to be saying that this API will be used to create walled gardens; the linked part of the design is about how to prevent the API from being used to create walled gardens. Disclosure: I work at Google but not on this.

Unfortunately, what you link doesn't answer how they will prevent it being used to create walled gardens.

It's just an open question, and as such, it does seem it's an afterthought, when it should be front and center if anyone care for an open web.

Re: Web Environment Integrity API Proposal

#365

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is extremely disingenuous to claim the only browser to still refuse to block third party cookies by default, because it helps their ad partners, is "more secure". The only way in which Chrome is more secure at anything appears to be securely forcing you to view ads via this API. And a shocking amount of malware fails to work when you use a running environment that 95% of society are not using. You are far safer on…

How are third-party cookies a security (not privacy) risk?

Privacy and security are the same thing. You cannot have one without the other.

Re: Web Environment Integrity API Proposal

#366

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Conflating serverside generated code to native app restrictions is nonsensical, they are not the same thing > You did it first. Attestation has nothing to do with extentions. First of all, extensions are not serverside code, so... no, that doesn't make any sense. Second of all, attestation has a lot to do with extensions because extensions are based on browser functionality, and attestation impacts which software yo…

>attestation means websites can check to see if you're running modified or forked browsers that might allow for broader extension APIs. It does not tell you what browser the user is using. Websites can not block a specific browser. >Blocking ad fraud, blocking bots, blocking malware from a banking site, and blocking cheating in web games -- all of that requires blocking extensions How does this affect browser modific…

> It does not tell you what browser the user is using. Websites can not block a specific browser.

This is unbelievably silly. It's like saying that Play Integrity doesn't tell you if the user is running LineageOS, so it doesn't mean that apps can block LineageOS. This is not a serious argument.

> It's about reducing the rate of those things.

Again, this is incredibly silly. There is zero evidence this will reduce the rate of those things. Extensions are very likely the most common vector for this.

And if you genuinely can't see a clear path in this proposal where website operators will say, "we can block Headless Chromium, but people are still getting their bank passwords stolen by malicious extensions, lock the extensions down too" -- then, I don't know, it must be nice to be able to somehow trust corporations that much despite the entire history of how advertisers and corporations have interacted with the web standards process.

Regardless, blocking Headless Chromium on its own is a restriction of user autonomy and a restriction of user freedom. That is still blocking me from using a specific browser. And if your argument is that scriptable browsers aren't going to be blocked, then this entire proposal is a waste of time. This proposal will affect extensions for obvious reasons, but even if it didn't it would still be a problem.

> When Linux distributions start to actually care about security yes I do see plenty.

:) Come on. Linux security is not the reason it would be blocked in these situations, user agency to run headless browsers like Headless Chromium is the reason it would be blocked.

You're trying to shift this conversation to be about security, but security is only one of four use-cases proposed, and three of them are about preventing the user from doing actions that the website owner considers harmful. This is not primarily a security proposal, it is a proposal about blocking off user capabilities that website authors would rather the user not have.

That is the reason why attestation won't be coming to Linux: because Arch Linux won't lock me out of my own system and prevent me from running software that I choose.

Of course, it does not escape my notice that you haven't provided an argument for why Linux won't be blocked, you've provided an excuse for why Linux should be blocked. What you're telling me is "yes, your device won't support attestation and you won't be able to use your bank website on that device, but that's Linux's fault. And maybe eventually Linux will support attestation in the future."

Okay, it's nice to know I'll only be locked out using the OS I prefer for an ambiguous amount of time until it caves and meets an unspecified standard of security at some unspecified point in the future. But I'm still going to be blocked from Linux. And you've moved from "this doesn't block an OS" to "it does block an OS and that's actually a good thing to do."

> Play Integrity covers both attesting to if the system is in a secure state and if the app you are running is from the play store. This proposal only has an equivalent for the former.

Luckily the former is the part I care about and is the primary part that is abused. Rooting an Android device is the part we're talking about and the part this has implications for. You started out this conversation by asking me to read the proposal. Let me extend the same request to you: please do some research on this.

Also, please don't make claims that aren't substantiated about how attestation will work. This proposal does not specify that attestation on Android wouldn't use the Play Integrity API. It is extremely likely that Google would use the same underlying system and that Android would refuse to provide attestation for apps that aren't from the Play Store.

Nothing in this proposal preempts them from doing that, there is no reason to trust you when you say that sideloaded apps will be able to pass attestation. The proposal specifically does not lay out what attestation requirements will be.

> Chrome has worked on CNAME stuff since that was written and most of it does not really matter to most people.

"Chrome works on CNAME stuff": where? The API isn't supported, what are you talking about :)

And if a nearly 20% reduction in adblocking capability doesn't matter to you, great! But don't pretend that it doesn't exist. Chrome objectively has a worse adblocking experience than Firefox. Manifest V3 will make that experience worse.

Maybe you don't care about that, which is fine for you, but "this won't affect adblocking" and "meh, what adblocking you'll have will be good enough, stop caring so much about adblocking" are very different arguments.

> It's the users who are losing privacy due to cross site tracking.

FLOC would not have stopped cross site tracking or improved user privacy. None of the proposals Google made about restricting cross site tracking needed FLOC (Firefox and Safari were able to block cross site cookies just fine without FLOC).

In addition, it's not really even accurate to say that Google is clamping down on cross site tracking; in fact First Party Sets exposes mechanisms to treat cross site cookies as if they are first party.

Chrome was last to the table on blocking common cross site tracking techniques, specifically because they refused to implement industry wide defenses until they had another user targeting solution implemented. Chrome very literally delayed user privacy improvements until they could make sure that advertisers were taken care of. They were the last browser to add those improvements because they were worried about advertisers more than users. And they immediately proposed specification changes that weakened the user protections that other browsers had already launched.

Re: Web Environment Integrity API Proposal

#367

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>attestation means websites can check to see if you're running modified or forked browsers that might allow for broader extension APIs. It does not tell you what browser the user is using. Websites can not block a specific browser. >Blocking ad fraud, blocking bots, blocking malware from a banking site, and blocking cheating in web games -- all of that requires blocking extensions How does this affect browser modific…

> It does not tell you what browser the user is using. Websites can not block a specific browser. This is unbelievably silly. It's like saying that Play Integrity doesn't tell you if the user is running LineageOS, so it doesn't mean that apps can block LineageOS. This is not a serious argument. > It's about reducing the rate of those things. Again, this is incredibly silly. There is zero evidence this will reduce the…

>It's like saying that Play Integrity doesn't tell you if the user is running LineageOS, so it doesn't mean that apps can block LineageOS. This is not a serious argument.

But, it's true. Since LineageOS doesn't break Android's security model they could work with phone manufacters / Google to allow LineageOS to be trusted. Then apps would not be able to tell via play integrity that it could be lineageos since it looks like any other trusted device.

>There is zero evidence this will reduce the rate of those things.

I think this is fair criticism of the proposal. If it's not effective in practice then sites won't invest time in using it since it's a pointless API.

>Regardless, blocking Headless Chromium on its own is a restriction of user autonomy and a restriction of user freedom.

This API is not about blocking headless chromium.

>but people are still getting their bank passwords stolen by malicious extensions, lock the extensions down too

Protecting against that is unrelated to this proposal.

>:) Come on. Linux security is not the reason it would be blocked in these situations

Considering most Linux users are 1 curl | bash away from installing malware that can easily pivot to root and install a kernel module to hide itself. It's related.

>and three of them are about preventing the user from doing actions that the website owner considers harmful.

Can you quote that section. I don't see it.

>it is a proposal about blocking off user capabilities that website authors would rather the user not have.

Except this proposal doesn't block any user capabilities. It simply adds a way for sites to check if the user has a secure environment.

>That is the reason why attestation won't be coming to Linux: because Arch Linux won't lock me out of my own system and prevent me from running software that I choose.

Arch could simply have in their settings app a toggle that allows you to disable trusted mode to allow you to install kernels or whatever you built yourself. Similar to how motherboards let you disable secure boot.

>it does not escape my notice that you haven't provided an argument for why Linux won't be blocked

Firstly, this proposal isn't about blocking people. Secondly, their will be many Android bsed Linux distros that will be considered secure. For the Debians and Archs of the world they will need to work with others and prove they can provide a trusted environment. I believe this is possible and I think something similar happened in relation to secureboot.

>"it does block an OS and that's actually a good thing to do."

I never said that it was a good thing to do.

>Rooting an Android device is the part we're talking about and the part this has implications for.

Rooting breaks the android security model and provides by definition an untrusted environment. Android apps may not want to deal with supporting devices that don't support the security features an Android operating system is supposed to provide.

>It is extremely likely that Google would use the same underlying system and that Android would refuse to provide attestation for apps that aren't from the Play Store.

The Play Integrity API works with apps not from the store.

> danShumway 26 minutes ago | parent | context | flag | on: Web Environment Integrity API Proposal

> It does not tell you what browser the user is using. Websites can not block a specific browser.

This is unbelievably silly. It's like saying that Play Integrity doesn't tell you if the user is running LineageOS, so it doesn't mean that apps can block LineageOS. This is not a serious argument.

> It's about reducing the rate of those things.

Again, this is incredibly silly. There is zero evidence this will reduce the rate of those things. Extensions are very likely the most common vector for this.

And if you genuinely can't see a clear path in this proposal where website operators will say, "we can block Headless Chromium, but people are still getting their bank passwords stolen by malicious extensions, lock the extensions down too" -- then, I don't know, it must be nice to be able to somehow trust corporations that much despite the entire history of how advertisers and corporations have interacted with the web standards process.

Regardless, blocking Headless Chromium on its own is a restriction of user autonomy and a restriction of user freedom. That is still blocking me from using a specific browser. And if your argument is that scriptable browsers aren't going to be blocked, then this entire proposal is a waste of time.

This proposal will affect extensions for obvious reasons, but even if it didn't it would still be a problem.

> When Linux distributions start to actually care about security yes I do see plenty.

:) Come on. Linux security is not the reason it would be blocked in these situations, user agency to run headless browsers like Headless Chromium is the reason it would be blocked.

You're trying to shift this conversation to be about security, but security is only one of four use-cases proposed, and three of them are about preventing the user from doing actions that the website owner considers harmful. This is not primarily a security proposal, it is a proposal about blocking off user capabilities that website authors would rather the user not have.

That is the reason why attestation won't be coming to Linux: because Arch Linux won't lock me out of my own system and prevent me from running software that I choose.

Of course, it does not escape my notice that you haven't provided an argument for why Linux won't be blocked, you've provided an excuse for why Linux should be blocked. What you're telling me is "yes, your device won't support attestation and you won't be able to use your bank website on that device, but that's Linux's fault. And maybe eventually Linux will support attestation in the future."

Okay, it's nice to know I'll only be locked out using the OS I prefer for an ambiguous amount of time until it caves and meets an unspecified standard of security at some unspecified point in the future. But I'm still going to be blocked from Linux. And you've moved from "this doesn't block an OS" to "it does block an OS and that's actually a good thing to do."

> Play Integrity covers both attesting to if the system is in a secure state and if the app you are running is from the play store. This proposal only has an equivalent for the former.

Luckily the former is the part I care about and is the primary part that is abused. Rooting an Android device is the part we're talking about and the part this has implications for. You started out this conversation by asking me to read the proposal. Let me extend the same request to you: please do some research on this.

Also, please don't make claims that aren't substantiated about how attestation will work. This proposal does not specify that attestation on Android wouldn't use the Play Integrity API. It is extremely likely that Google would use the same underlying system and that Android would refuse to provide attestation for apps that aren't from the Play Store.

Nothing in this proposal preempts them from doing that, there is no reason to trust you when you say that sideloaded apps will be able to pass attestation. The proposal specifically does not lay out what attestation requirements will be.

> Chrome has worked on CNAME stuff since that was written and most of it does not really matter to most people.

"Chrome works on CNAME stuff": where?

https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=118065...

    Chrome now handles CNAME aliases internally: https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=1151047.  
    
    We also now plan to support this for extensions as part of declarativeNetRequest API.
The linked issue shows CNAME support being added to at least Chrome's built in adblocker.

>FLOC would not have stopped cross site tracking or improved user privacy

Yes, but the plan was that after FLOC cross site cookies would not be sent. The whole point is to provide an alternative to people using cross site cookies before it gets removed.

Re: Web Environment Integrity API Proposal

#368
post #75
post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. The solution is very simple: uninstall Chrome and Chromium. We are the people with the most influence on the tech. We are prescriptors. We are legion. – Yes but Chrome is a tad faster and I have my bookmarks and my favorites extension and blablablabla… — Then you are the root cause of the problem. If you are not ready to sacrifice an ounce of comfort to save the web, then you are the one killing the web. Simple:…

> There are plenty of alternatives Yeah, not for long. Go back and read the proposed changes.

For google analytics and the like there are a lot of alternatives to be fair, I've started using Simple Analytics on all my sites.

Re: Web Environment Integrity API Proposal

#369
post #310

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I avoid giving a password to random sites online for a reason: I trust Google's password databases to be a lot more airtight than joerandomsite.tld. That includes password databases.

Something to consider when you save your passwords in Google, you can "forget" and reset your Google account password and all your passwords are still there. Compare that to a proper password manager where if you forget the master password (assuming sufficient complexity) nobody is getting those passwords back ever. So Google has full access to your passwords whenever it feels like it. As the other commenter said, th…

That's a feature, not a bug. I don't want to lose all of my passwords if I have to reset my Google password.

Re: Web Environment Integrity API Proposal

#370

> Attesters will be required to offer their service under the same conditions to any browser who wishes to use it and meets certain baseline requirements. This leads to any browser running on the given OS platform having the same access to the technology, but we still have the risks that 1) some websites might exclude some operating systems, and 2) if the platform identity of the application that requested the attest…

> and meets certain baseline requirements I also wonder what those certain baseline requirements are going to be? Weird that they're left ambiguous. It's probably nothing to worry about. We have a ton of precedent with Widevine that "it's okay, we'll license to anyone who meets requirements" wouldn't ever be abused[0]. It's fine, you just meet the baseline requirements that aren't spelled out yet and that might be su…

I fully expect the attestors to be platform vendors - Google, Apple, MS.

It’ll be cryptographic chain-of-trust based, with it sending a fingerprint, probably encrypted/signed with a per device key stored in something like a TPM, to the attestor, who will say if the fingerprint is valid or not.

They’ll inevitably only attest to the state of apps running under this full chain - so full secure boot, no unsigned drivers, only signed/approved apps - probably with a requirement to be installed via the platform’s App Store.

No one will be attesting for Linux because there’s no chain of trust and no control over what runs.

It’s a recipe for eliminating user choice and freedoms.

The current spec has a holdback mechanism. It actually gets implemented, I don’t expect that holdback mechanism to actually be part of the final implementation - because it makes the whole idea useless.

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