New Web Code Draws Concern Over Privacy Risks

[groovedaddy]

Worries over Internet privacy have spurred lawsuits, conspiracy theories and consumer anxiety as marketers and others invent new ways to track computer users on the Internet. But the alarmists have not seen anything yet.

In the next few years, a powerful new suite of capabilities will become available to Web developers that could give marketers and advertisers access to many more details about computer users’ online activities. Nearly everyone who uses the Internet will face the privacy risks that come with those capabilities, which are an integral part of the Web language that will soon power the Internet: HTML 5.

The new Web code, the fifth version of Hypertext Markup Language used to create Web pages, is already in limited use, and it promises to usher in a new era of Internet browsing within the next few years. It will make it easier for users to view multimedia content without downloading extra software; check e-mail offline; or find a favorite restaurant or shop on a smartphone.

Most users will clearly welcome the additional features that come with the new Web language.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/11/business/media/11privacy.html?th=&adxnnl=1&emc=th&adxnnlx=1286812887-lAPqUyaBLWJlrIB1xKgP7w

[wtmusic]

1. I am going nowhere near an HTML 5-compliant browser

It will add nothing to the web experience we already have, and further erode whatever privacy we have left.

Ecchh.

[left_or_bust]

2. the status quo is the outrage -- HTML5 is nonproprietary, get with it already.

ntrollable by the person who should be rightly calling their own computer their own property!) as opposed to proprietary Adobe tyranny, we'll have way more power-to-the-people, literally in a technical sense, in place. The upshot: HTML5 is forming as an open process (www.w3.org). Try going into Adobe's process and being heard.
I for one don't read the NYT-- way too wealth-centric and generally pretentious/arrogant.

Wtmusic, you have no idea what you're talking about. The status quo serves megaconglomerate corporations.. video clips and increasingly (though needlessly) basic navigation functionalities are being taken over by assinine Adobe Flash with javascript. It's infamous for taking up ALL the processing power of your machine, and is a proprietary black box which leaves us in the Open Source movement (i.e. www.distrowatch.com) asking, "hmmrr, What is going on, since theres absolutely no way it needs all that processor and to heat up my machine like that!??" Had you a clue as re tech intersecting with democracy, you'd be aware of the battle afoot to unseat Flash as the pernicious bully/monopoly.. with the democratic efforts of the opensource standards community, aka HTML5 (www.w3.org) and Ogg/Theora (www.playogg.org)
Required reading:

http://epic.org/privacy/cookies/flash.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_Shared_Object

Oh and btw, if youre a privacy fan you'd better replace Obama/Biden with someone progressive:

(The reporter starkly contrasts BO's campaign rhetoric with what we ended up getting as far as his DEEDS..)
Report: Feds to push for Net encryption backdoors
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20017671-281.html

(see last paragraph)
Court allows warrantless cell location tracking
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20015743-281.html

[Heywood J]

3. Welcome to DU.

What you've said is technically true, but your way of saying it left something to be desired.

[left_or_bust]

4. well said. Ignore my anger, take away the info and hit me up for more anytime.

Say Heywood,
you've caused me to take another look at my post and wow, youre quite right. Typing at 70wpm and being homeless/indigent with but a couple hours/day to frenetically interact with cyberspace leaves your brought-up-coding author flustered at times, and lashing out at comrades is surely a nasty outcome, which can sometimes occur.
Thanks for the welcome.
Anyone wanting some free advice on tech, especially if considering migrating to Linux/BSD, hit me up. Also considering a business formation of some sort.. and if anyone has an intern or Startup Partner type position to fill, let me know. (And as I'm needing to relocate anyway, so that makes me all the more willing.)

AMANDLA!