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Google's web DRM?
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Nominal Animal:
Well, I can definitely imagine many, many business reasons why Google would want to provide services to those using only official versions of Chrome, with only officially approved extensions installed.

It is not a secret that Youtube (which Google owns, of course) is trying to find out how to get rid of ad blocker users already, for example.  Google Search is probably having a similar problem.

Combined with Google Fiber internet service, this "proposal" would give Google a full control of the entire stack down to the software used on the client side.
I'm sure many people in their marketing department and in non-technical Cxx roles have already wet their panties imagining the spoils they can run off with, if they could just pull this off.  Now that they have the sufficient market share (not exactly a monopoly, but large enough chunk of the market to make such a move possible), is probably their only opportunity to make such a move, as EU and others are starting to pressure the large companies wrt. sales and handling of user information.  (Unlikely to actually hinder their business models now, but might make a suggestion like this impossible in the future.  So it could be a now or never -type situation.)

It could also be a wanky self-kill by someone who has been asked about this kind of stuff by the marketing department and non-technical Cxx roles, and are willing to ruin their career to stop it.  I doubt it, because of the language and behaviour exhibited by the promoter.
MrMobodies:
I see it isn't just him alone according to this article
https://itwire.com/government-tech-news/technology-regulation/google-trying-to-corner-browser-market,-norwegian-firm-vivaldi-claims.html

--- Quote ---Norwegian firm Vivaldi, which produces a browser of the same name, has criticised Google for releasing a specification known as Web Environment Integrity which it claims would be toxic to the Web at large.
Thursday, 27 July 2023 06:29 By Sam Varghese

The specification in question has not been formally released by Google yet; the details have been uploaded to GitHub and credited to four Google employees: Ben Wiser, Borbala Benko, Philipp Pfeiffenberger and Sergey Kataev.

Vivaldi software developer Julien Picalausa said in a blog post on Tuesday: "Web Environment Integrity... is as simple as it is dangerous. It would provide websites with an API telling them whether the browser and the platform it is running on that is currently in use is trusted by an authoritative third party (called an attester).

"The details are nebulous, but the goal seems to be to prevent 'fake' interactions with websites of all kinds. While this seems like a noble motivation, and the use cases listed seem very reasonable, the solution proposed is absolutely terrible and has already been equated with DRM [digital rights management] for websites, with all that it implies."

Some Western technology websites have canned the proposal, among them Ars Technica and The Register.

...

--- End quote ---

Just noticed one of them has been engaged in anti piracy stuff:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/skataev

--- Quote ---Borbala Katalin Benko
Senior Software Engineer
Google  Budapesti Mûszaki és Gazdaságtudományi Egyetem

Software Security Engineer
Apple
Mar 2020 - Jul 2022 2 years 5 months
San Francisco Bay Area

Security Software Engineer
PACE Anti-Piracy, Inc
Jul 2019 - Feb 2020 8 months
San Francisco Bay Area

...

Inside Secure
5 years 4 months

Sr Field Applications Engineer
Apr 2014 - Jul 2019 5 years 4 months
Glasgow, United Kingdom

Supporting customers evaluating and using Metaforic software world-wide.
- Metaforic Core and Concealer: * application integrity protection and obfuscation.
- Metaforic WhiteBox: cryptography obfuscation

Mainly protecting Android and iOS apps, mostly mobile payments and streaming video DRM solutions.
Helping customers design security schemes using MF tools when necessary
--- End quote ---
* "application integrity protection" and Web Environment Integrity.
Doesn't that sound a bit familiar?

I wonder if he'd be the one designing it if it goes ahead using his previous works?

https://paceap.com/about-us/

--- Quote ---PACE provides world class software security tools and platform for empowering global software publishers to maximize their licensing processes and profits in real time.
--- End quote ---

https://www.design-reuse.com/news/38981/inside-secure-drm-fusion-google-widevine-modular-drm-system.html

--- Quote ---INSIDE Secure DRM Fusion Adds Support for Google Widevine Modular DRM System
Broadcasters can use a single content protection solution to comply with Hollywood studios’ latest security requirements while selecting from multiple popular DRM solutions

Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas, NV – January 7, 2015 – INSIDE Secure (Euronext : INSD), a leader in embedded security solutions for mobile and connected devices, today announced it is enhancing its award-winning Digital Rights Management (DRM) Fusion solution with support for Google’s Widevine DRM system. The updated content protection solution meets Hollywood studios’ requirement for increased security as outlined in the MovieLabs Specification for Enhanced Content Protection V1.1. DRM Fusion is a multi-DRM solution, allowing broadcasters to choose among DRM solutions and save time and money by only having to develop their player application once to access multiple popular DRM solutions.

Over-The-Top (OTT) content distribution is a fast growing market that requires dynamic and flexible solutions for content protection.According to the Global OTT TV & Video Forecasts report from Digital TV Research in June 2015, global OTT TV and video revenues [covering 64 countries] will reach $51.1 billion in 2020; a massive increase from the $4.2 billion recorded in 2010 and the $26.0 billion expected in 2015. This trend is driven by consumers’ demand to access popular content anywhere, anytime and from any device. What is becoming a must-have for consumers however represents a technical challenge for content providers and broadcasters.

“Irrespective of the platform and the content owners' security requirements, we can meet their security needs; from a software-only solution to meet Google’s Widevine Level 3, to a Level 1 solution where unencrypted video is never available outside of a device’s Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) or a secure connection during transmission,” said Andrew McLennan, Executive Vice President of the Mobile Security Division of INSIDE Secure. “INSIDE Secure can help our customers protect premium content, including 4K/UHD and HDR content, anywhere it is on Smart TVs, set-top-boxes, game consoles, smartphones or tablets.”

Benefits of DRM Fusion include:

Technology from the market leader: DRM Fusion has been deployed over 80 times by broadcasters, including HBO, BBC, Sky, Orange, Canal+, and Bell Canada, and is used by more than 100 million consumers every day
Approved by Hollywood studios for premium content distribution
Based on INSIDE Secure's award-winning application protection solution that includes integrity checking, anti-reverse engineering and the scrambling of keys and other secrets.
Support for Google Widevine DRM and Microsoft® PlayReady®
A multi-DRM solution, allowing broadcasters to choose among DRM solutions to provide the most suitable security and customer experience  :bullshit:

Save time and money by only having to develop a player application once to access multiple popular DRM solutions.

INSIDE Secure is a one-stop-shop for content protection, uniquely serving the needs of application developers, chipset makers, OEM’s and operators. Device manufacturers, for example, can use DRM Fusion in conjunction with chipsets that incorporate hardware security IPs to meet MovieLabs specifications.

INSIDE Secure is demonstrating its DRM Fusion solution at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), in Las Vegas NV - 6-9 January 2016 - Stand 21734 - Tech East, LVCC, South Halls 1 - 2, Ground Level.

DRM Fusion support for Google Widevine DRM is available now. For more information about INSIDE Secure’s Premium Content Protection offer please visit: http://www.insidesecure.com/Markets-solutions/Content-Protection-and-Entertainment.

About INSIDE Secure

INSIDE Secure (Euronext Paris FR0010291245 – INSD) provides comprehensive embedded security solutions. World-leading companies rely on INSIDE Secure’s mobile security and secure transaction offerings to protect critical assets including connected devices, content, services, identity and transactions. Unmatched security expertise combined with a comprehensive range of IP, semiconductors, software and associated services gives INSIDE Secure customers a single source for advanced solutions and superior investment protection. For more information, visit http://www.insidesecure.com.
--- End quote ---

Another one: "Integrity checking" and I see they can manipulate too at chipset/firmware level for copyright to satisfy the movie studios or whatever.

So that engineer had been working on that for years and Google has now found someone well associated with it.
NiHaoMike:

--- Quote from: Nominal Animal on July 27, 2023, 01:36:36 am ---It is not a secret that Youtube (which Google owns, of course) is trying to find out how to get rid of ad blocker users already, for example.  Google Search is probably having a similar problem.

--- End quote ---
I can see the rise of a stealth adblocker. And maybe some scripts to intentionally generate a lot of fake ad "views" and make the whole idea of push advertising come crashing down.
Faranight:

--- Quote from: SiliconWizard on July 26, 2023, 07:56:18 pm ---The number of web sites that work with Chrome/Chromium and not with Firefox for instance is growing and hint, it's not because Firefox doesn't comply with the standards.
--- End quote ---
It's because the websites don't comply with the standards since Chrome has led them astray.
MrMobodies:

--- Quote from: Faranight on July 27, 2023, 09:26:27 am ---It's because the websites don't comply with the standards since Chrome has led them astray.
--- End quote ---
I hear this phrase a few times and one time from a developer at Palemoon forums, "Google junk code" and now I see what they may mean.
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