Hello.

I am Paul Kinlan.

A Developer Advocate for Chrome and the Open Web at Google.

I love the web. The web should allow anyone to access any experience that they need without the need for native install or content walled garden.

The off by default web

Paul Kinlan

This blog post discusses the current state of web API permissions and argues for a more restrictive "off-by-default" approach. It highlights the Principle of Least Privilege and observes that most websites don't utilize Feature Policy or Permissions Policy effectively. The author suggests that instead of asking "what should I turn off?", developers should ask "what should I enable?". The post details the different permission models, the complexity of managing numerous permissions, and the benefits of a deny-all-then-enable approach. It also acknowledges the drawbacks and the need for tooling and guidance to facilitate this shift in thinking. The author concludes by advocating for intentionality in permission management and encouraging a discussion on the topic.

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