Is this something that will only affect Google Chrome or other chromium based browsers immediately? I’m on Firefox already but the change isn’t so appealing to friends who are on Google Chrome.
The concern with WEI proposal is that it’s going to be server enforced. Basically, the server will require browsers to be signed and will refuse to talk to ones it doesn’t recognize the signature for. This will mean that you’ll only be able to talk to such servers using a browser that’s approved by whoever distributes these certs. This is a great explanation of the whole scheme.
Unfortunately is not that simple, now Google is pushing a new standard web environment called WEI and all browsers will be affected with it. Is not just a matter of free choice.
We’ll see if sites really start forcing this standard, could just turn into a situation where you use Chrome as an app to access specific sites that force it and Firefox for everything else.
Banks will force it pretty quickly. I can’t bank on a rooted android already.
Yeah, I think banks and online stores are the most likely early adapters of this.
If I lose my ad blocker it’s like losing access to the internet for me
Pretty much, and I think this highlights just how important it is to have at least two independently developed browser engines. If Chromium becomes the only game in town that would effectively let Google, which makes most of its revenue from ads, decide how we access the internet. That would be an absolutely terrible scenario to be in.
