Google’s new project could be misused to prevent ad blocking and destroy rival browsers, critics say. Google argues it is fighting for privacy. Who is right?
Google is working on a system to fight fraud and make the internet “more private and safe,” but it’s just come in for some blistering criticism from software engineers behind the Vivaldi web browser. According to them, it’s a “dangerous” idea that could lead to greater surveillance of ordinary people.
The problem, critics allege, is that those same measures could be used to hamstring ad blockers, block browsers that compete with Google Chrome, or otherwise limit lawful web browsing activities. Recommended Videos Yet not everyone agrees. Posting on the company’s blog, Vivaldi developer Julien Picalausa said “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 for websites, with all that it implies.
“More surveillance” Speaking to The Register, Vivaldi CEO Jon von Tetzchner explained that “A big part of the reason why there is a problem is the surveillance economy … the solution to the surveillance economy seems to be more surveillance.”
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