Security News > 2023 > July > Browser developers push back on Google's “web DRM” WEI API
Google's plans to introduce the Web Environment Integrity API on Chrome has been met with fierce backlash from internet software developers, drawing criticism for limiting user freedom and undermining the core principles of the open web.
Google says this is not a privacy risk as it does not enable cross-site user tracking and won't interfere with browser or plugins/extensions functionality.
Vivaldi's post further explains that choosing not to implement WEI will be complicated, as Google can very easily abuse its dominant position in the advertising market to enforce its adoption by the majority of sites, rendering dissenting browser projects useless.
The Brave browser team does not fear this scenario as its co-founder and CEO, Brendan Eich, confirmed that they do not plan to ship WEI. In response to a thread on Twitter, Eich stated that WEI support will not be shipped in Brave, just as they do with many other privacy-intrusive mechanisms Google inserts into Chrome's code which Brave uses as its basis.
Currently, Google's WEI API proposal is still in an early development phase and may change form or be significantly changed if all stakeholders agree to its implementation.
Google Chrome password manager gets new safeguards for your credentials.