'Freedom' in the digital world is gradually being lost, and there is a possibility that we will be heading into the worst situation, such as 'DRM mandatory', 'VPN outlawing', and 'government intervention in app updates'
The boiling frog of digital freedom | Gazoche's blog
https://gazoche.xyz/posts/boiling-frog/
The boiling frog of digital freedom | Hacker News
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37368824
The history of specifications and rules that take away freedom in the digital world is as follows.
2011: Microsoft makes Windows secure boot a requirement
It has been criticized as an act of sabotage that prevents the installation of alternative operating systems such as Linux.
2017: Disabling Widevine DRM in Chrome becomes impossible
Widevine DRM, Google's copyright management system, is now always enabled when using Chrome.
2017: Microsoft releases Windows 10 S , a lockdown version of Windows that prevents the installation of third-party apps
When using Windows 10 S, you can only run apps obtained from the Microsoft Store.
2020: Google Deploys Hardware-Based Device Integrity Checks on Android , Causing Alternate ROMs to Malfunction
It has become difficult to root and 'fully own' Android.
2020: Apple forces apps on MacOS to be notarized
If you distribute your app outside of the Mac App Store, you must submit your app to Apple and have it notarized before it can be launched.
2021: Microsoft designates TPM 2.0 as a mandatory requirement for Windows
It was criticized as ``It looks like it increases the security of the PC, but in reality it is a tool to protect the PC from the user.''
2021: UK Parliament unveils Online Safety Bill imposing content filtering on all 'user-to-user services'
A bill has been announced by the British Parliament that requires online platformers to delete 'illegal content' and 'legal but harmful content'. It was criticized for ``creating a new form of censorship for speech that should be legal,'' and measures regarding ``legal but harmful content'' have been relaxed in 2022.
2022: Apple will ship ' private access tokens ', a mechanism to validate web requests from 'legitimate devices'
A mechanism has been introduced to verify access to web services, such as ``Is it accessed from a real device?'' and ``Is it modified?''
2023: Google moves forward with bringing Web Environment Integrity to Chrome
Google is introducing the same mechanism as the private access token mentioned above to Chrome. Web Environment Integrity is explained in detail in the article below.
Vivaldi talks about why and how the notorious ``Web Environment Integrity'' as ``DRM in the web world'' is dangerous, Apple products have already introduced a similar mechanism - GIGAZINE
2023: France proposes SREN bill , requiring browsers to apply government-provided blocklists
If enacted, the bill would allow governments to order DNS providers and browsers to block certain websites.
As mentioned above, restrictions on freedom in the digital world have been progressing in various ways, but in this blog post, various events are predicted as 'future speculation'.
2024: Youtube, Gmail, Spotify, Banks and several other major websites will start using Google's WEI API for internal user rating scoring, enforcing more CAPTCHAs for non-compliant browsers like
2025: Google removes the ability to install Android apps from outside the Play Store, citing security concerns
2026: Windows 12 is released and “S mode” is enabled by default
2027: Websites that are not WEI compliant will be marked as 'not secure' by Chrome and Safari. Access to these sites now requires confirmation with a dialog box such as 'Yes, I accept the risk'
2028: Ad-blocking extensions will be removed from the Chrome store so that force-installing them will mark the browser as untrusted by WEI
2029: Windows 14 Home will make S mode permanent, preventing third-party apps from running. Business customers relying on legacy programs will now need paid subscriptions to restore functionality
2030: ARM-based Windows machines will overtake x86_64 in market share. Bootloader locking by manufacturer to be listed as compatible 'Microsoft Trusted Partner'
2031: Chrome will ship with website blocklists provided by the user's local government, and tampering with these will mark the browser as untrusted by the WEI
2032: Chrome ends official support for Linux due to its inability to meet the WEI check and the resulting decline in its relevance as a desktop OS.
2033: Media player apps will need to implement DRM checks in order to be published on app stores.
2034: VPNs will be mostly outlawed worldwide
2035: Messaging apps, including email clients, will be considered “critical applications” in most countries, subject to government approval before being published
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in Software, Web Application, Posted by log1d_ts