I'm Old Enough to Remember When Google's Motto Was "Don't Be Evil"

Google is sad that tracking cookies don't work as well as they once did. So they've decided to go the Full Evil route to get that data back. Google’s nightmare “Web Integrity API” wants a DRM gatekeeper for the web

Google's newest proposed web standard is... DRM? Over the weekend the Internet got wind of this proposal for a "Web Environment Integrity API. " The explainer is authored by four Googlers, including at least one person on Chrome's "Privacy Sandbox" team, which is responding to the death of tracking cookies by building a user-tracking ad platform right into the browser.

Google describes this brainstorm in glowing terms, of how it will make everyone safer and happier. Of course the only people Google is worried about is the advertisers/customers who want to track your every move - both on the web and in real life. (And yes, those customers include governments.)

The rest of us are not so happy with what Google is up to, and the comments have been "mixed."

Issue #134 calls the idea "absolutely unethical and against the open web." Issue #113 say they "can't believe this is even proposed." Issue #127 adds: "Have you ever stopped to consider that you're the bad guys?" Another user posted a screed entirely in hexadecimal that, when translated, starts with "Death to Fascists" and wishes explosive diarrhea on everyone involved. So reception so far has been... mixed.

That whole, "Don't Be Evil!" thing really was a long time ago.

Hat tip to Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony, and Daily News Stuff 25 July 2023: Unsightly Activities Undertaken At Reasonable Prices Edition. It also serves as the tldr version of the Ars Technica article.

If you're going to be evil, be all the way evil: Google's new Web Integrity API plans to lock you out of your own browser and track your activity everywhere with in-depth fingerprinting and unblockable DRM. (Ars Technica)