Let's get this out of the way: they give a number of #reasons why #webservers "might wish" to establish that a web #client is running on a "#trusted" software stack, including things like "make sure other game players aren't cheating" and "ensure I'm talking to another human".
There are only two things here that #Google cares about:
Having better #evidence that #ad#impressions are being served to actual humans-behind-browsers rather than to #bots. This is because the more certain they can make advertisers feel about this, the more they can #charge for an ad impression.
Ensuring that #users do not use ad blockers, because that hurts the bottom line.
No open-source #project, non-commercial #browser, #community#organization, or virtually anyone else whose business isn't based on tracking, abusing, and selling web users is going to be able to stand up a service like that. It would be economically impossible.
Possibly the best lie-to-your-face part of the explainer is this bit:
> Web Environment Integrity attests the #legitimacy of the underlying hardware
> and #software stack, it does not restrict the indicated application’s functionality:
> E.g. if the browser allows extensions, the user may use extensions; if a
> browser is modified, the modified browser can still request Web Environment
> Integrity attestation.
You know who owns the big browsers? Well, the list is basically Google, stop.
They go on to say "As new #browsers are introduced, they would need to demonstrate to #attesters (a relatively small group) that they pass the bar [...] #Established browsers would need to only use attesters that respond quickly and #fairly to new browsers' #requests to be #trusted."
Using #Google as an example, Google #Chrome will probably only #trust the attestation of ... Google Web Environment Integrity Attestation! Well, plus Microsoft's and Apple's, so it isn't too obviously an anti-competitive #cartel. Which it would be, of course.
Do you think those attestation #services are going to give a "#trusted" #rating to any #browser that wants one? Do you think they'll give it to any browser with an ad-blocker?
And then, of course, you need to #convince#people to use a browser that does #comply with all the user-tracking and advertisement-enforcing #requirements they set out.
If not using a Google-endorsed #browser means #losing#access to all of that, most people are not going to be able to make that choice. They're going to have to use #Chrome, and they'll have to put up with it shoving "#interstitial ads" (aka all-encompassing #TV#commercials in the middle of your attempt to use the service) and a million other ads.
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