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> a turing complete language with access to such a large API surface (from the DOM to the GPU to threads to a lot of the browser state) could be successfully sa

> a turing complete language with access to such a large API surface (from the DOM to the GPU to threads to a lot of the browser state) could be successfully sandboxed. I wonder why you say that. I concede that web has evolved from no-security in the 90s, when random applets and ActiveX controls were 1-click away from rooting your machine, through faulty security in 2000s, where stack smashing IE was a hobby of mine, and up to the current era of sandboxes. Which do work, sandbox evasion zero days have become very rare and remote execution has largely ceased to be an infection vector against the masses. The problem with 3rd party tracking is not technological, the web was deliberately engineered to work in this manner. The browsers work exactly as specified, and that specification is the problem. It's compounded then as a political problem, where major browser investment are controlled by advertising companies that have a massive conflict of interest regarding the users privacy, and are likely to promote bandaids like "Do not track" instead of the fundamental privacy re-engineering the web urgently requires. > The world has gone mad. I'm going to get a "gopher should've won" tatoo and live in as an hermit on some nearby mountain. When I'm thinking like this is usually a sign of age. Hang in there buddy, we'll be fine. There is a promised land just around the corner with rich, secure web applications and strong privacy. If only everybody agreed we want it.

simias 9y ago
>Which do work, sandbox evasion zero days have become very rare and remote execution has largely ceased to be an infection vector against the masses. I consider that the widespread fingerprinting and user tracking is a form of sandbox evasion but I agree that it goes way beyond JS. The only identifying info that ought to be sent to some website by default is your IP address since it's necessary to actually send you back the data. Having the size of my view port, the version of my browser and OS, the type of video codecs I support and other shenanigans shouldn't leave my browser without my consent. The problem is that I can easily spoof most of my browser's info but JS makes it almost impossible to sanitize everything. >The problem with 3rd party tracking is not technological, the web was deliberately engineered to work in this manner. The browsers work exactly as specified, and that specification is the problem How is that not a complete contradiction? I'm not saying it's a bug, I know very well it's just a huge dump of features that keeps pouring in year after year. I'm just saying that web standards are the embodiment of "we were so preoccupied with whether or not we could that we didn't stop to think if we should". IMO there are broadly two different use cases for the web currently: Web applications like Google Docs on one hand and glorified PDF reader for mostly static content like HN, internet forums, news websites, Wikipedia etc... on the other. Web Apps are the part that require this ridiculous complexity to expose rich content. That's the stuff you'd use Java applets, XUL, Flash or ActiveX for in the past. Those apps could be whitelisted on a site-by-site basis in the same way that you install an app on your smartphone for instance. You know that you expose yourself to bugs and privacy leakages but you know what you're in for. 99% of the websites I browse everyday don't expose any functionality that ought to require any form of interactive scripting or advanced features beyond displaying text and images (and maybe video). Yet my browser will gladly let them access all these advanced APIs by default, load custom fonts, let them run code on my GPU, make 3rd party requests, mine cryptocurrencies... That's just ridiculous. The safest code is code that doesn't run. >When I'm thinking like this is usually a sign of age Come on, we're not old, we're wise! At least I hope so...

simias 9y ago

>Which do work, sandbox evasion zero days have become very rare and remote execution has largely ceased to be an infection vector against the masses. I consider that the widespread fingerprinting and user tracking is a form of sandbox evasion but I agree that it goes way beyond JS. The only identifying info that ought to be sent to some website by default is your IP address since it's necessary to actually send you back the data. Having the size of my view port, the version of my browser and OS, the type of video codecs I support and other shenanigans shouldn't leave my browser without my consent. The problem is that I can easily spoof most of my browser's info but JS makes it almost impossible to sanitize everything. >The problem with 3rd party tracking is not technological, the web was deliberately engineered to work in this manner. The browsers work exactly as specified, and that specification is the problem How is that not a complete contradiction? I'm not saying it's a bug, I know very well it's just a huge dump of features that keeps pouring in year after year. I'm just saying that web standards are the embodiment of "we were so preoccupied with whether or not we could that we didn't stop to think if we should". IMO there are broadly two different use cases for the web currently: Web applications like Google Docs on one hand and glorified PDF reader for mostly static content like HN, internet forums, news websites, Wikipedia etc... on the other. Web Apps are the part that require this ridiculous complexity to expose rich content. That's the stuff you'd use Java applets, XUL, Flash or ActiveX for in the past. Those apps could be whitelisted on a site-by-site basis in the same way that you install an app on your smartphone for instance. You know that you expose yourself to bugs and privacy leakages but you know what you're in for. 99% of the websites I browse everyday don't expose any functionality that ought to require any form of interactive scripting or advanced features beyond displaying text and images (and maybe video). Yet my browser will gladly let them access all these advanced APIs by default, load custom fonts, let them run code on my GPU, make 3rd party requests, mine cryptocurrencies... That's just ridiculous. The safest code is code that doesn't run. >When I'm thinking like this is usually a sign of age Come on, we're not old, we're wise! At least I hope so...