this post was submitted on 02 Nov 2023
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The Media Integrity API is something that streaming video services want and applies only to Android apps that are built on web technologies. This has nothing to do with conventional web experiences or even the Chrome browser on Android: it's effectively a solution for when media is served on webpages that are embedded inside an Android app.
Typically an Android app will use native libraries like ExoPlayer to request and serve DRM content, for instance a video from a paid streaming service to ensure that the viewer is permitted to watch it. Chrome is built on top of open video codecs and doesn't inherently support DRM in this manner (as far as I'm aware), so if an app developer wants to use web technologies by leveraging a WebView, they are restricted to which codecs and DRM is available.
It's my understanding that this new library offers a solution to such developers. As a reminder, this doesn't apply to the web at large.
From my perspective, this is no different than DRM offerings that are supported natively in all operating systems, including Android, iOS, Mac and Windows.
That's why DRM is bad period. It takes away your power and gives it to a single authority
The difficulty as I've understood it, is that this isn't sustainable for streaming services: if a bad actor knows how to serve the media request, there are no guarantees if they are actually licenced to watch it. I'm not especially knowledgeable in this field though, so perhaps there are other solutions that would mitigate concerns around the use of DRM.
I personally think that the end does justify the means. Sure Disney, Netflix and others might be concerned about piracy but at the end of the day they don't have much to say in terms of morals.
Yeah, but they were testing the waters with this one. The hydra's going to grow another head eventually. It'll be interesting to see how/if the media integrity API gets leveraged in the Android Chrome browser. They're eventually going to attack this problem from a slightly different angle.
Good summary. I used to think that apps were soooo much better than web apps, but I've come to realize that frequently the web UI is made intentionally janky to nudge users onto the apps where ads can't be blocked.
Ads can actually be blocked in apps if you use a VPN that has the ability. Though not all apps will function with a VPN enabled
While technically correct, not really feasible on mobile devices, especially when they have not been rooted and they are controlled by the telco you get your service from.
Wdym not feasible? I'm currently doing it on a non rooted android device using Mullvad VPN. Not sure what the telco has to do with ads but you can remove all of that bloatware using adb anyways.
Speaking generally, but if you lack the knowledge how to root a phone, if you're just using the phone as it's given to you by the phone company, they tend to control the things on there to a certain extent, and settings have a way of being switched back to the default values, etc.
Not that it's literally impossible to do.
P.S. and to be honest I'm also over using the work rooted, I really mean to say one where the user has changed portions of the phone away from the default software that the phone company has on it.
Or a PiHole! Still not as good as uBlock in a browser but an improvement.
This is essentially an attempt to further embed Google's existing dominance. What we need is a serious competitor in the Android space, that can involve a webstore, an api, etc that can provide an alternative force catering to both OEM and consumers alike that stands to challenge Google's dominance to the OHA alliance.
Google will just buy such a competitor like Facebook did with Instagram.
Every movement has a start.
Dont care all drm should be outlawed