Encryption, DRM, and the Web Cryptography API
Secrets and Keys
The controversial Web Cryptography API offers flexible encryption for web applications, but it also lays the groundwork for content providers to implement more powerful access restrictions through DRM.
The Web Cryptography API is a proposed addition to the HTML5 specification that will support cryptography for web applications. Modern browsers already have support for several cryptographic technologies. The new Web Cryptography API will extend this cryptography support to web applications through the Domain Object Model (DOM) used for web development.
The new API, which is based on the future ability of web browsers to encrypt and decrypt application data using JavaScript, is currently under review by the World Wide Web consortium (W3C) as a draft. This promising technology reaches well beyond the HTTPS transport security used with many websites, unleashing a flexible new paradigm for encryption in the web space. For example, a custom app could encrypt and store data in the cloud prior to transmission via WebSockets or WebRTC.
Although privacy advocates applaud new techniques for better and more flexible encryption, the Free Internet community has expressed alarm about the Web Cryptography API and has even asked the W3C to stop working on it. The reason for this concern is the potential for this technology to serve as a vehicle for Digital Rights Management (DRM) restrictions to online content.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Mint Shares a Possible Kernel Cleanup Solution
For those on Linux Mint who like to keep multiple kernels around but don't want them to take up too much space, you might be getting a new automated tool.
-
CachyOS Gets an Update
CachyOS August 2026 release is now available with the latest version of KDE, some new features, and plenty of improvements.
-
The Linux Kernel Dev Staging Area Now Rejects AI-Generated Patches
Unless a kernel patch is a valid security fix, it will be rejected if it was created using AI.
-
Linux Surpasses Double-Digit Market Share
According to two sources, the Linux operating system has hit a major milestone in market share that naysayers thought would never happen.
-
AI Helped Develop a Linux Exploit
A use-after-free race exploit was discovered and exploited on CentOS Stream 9.
-
Yet Another Linux Kernel Vulnerability Discovered
Affecting millions of systems, a kernel flaw discovered by Qualys could allow users to gain root privileges.
-
Ubuntu 26.10 to Include Ubuntu Certified Hardware Check
If you've ever wondered if your laptop or PC is officially certified to run Ubuntu, that curiosity will soon be met.
-
Substantial Update to IPFire Now Available
The lastest version of IPFire features a fundamental change to how the system handles DNS.
-
Gnome Working on Test Center App to Make Testing Easier
It's now possible to test experimental features on the Gnome desktop without worrying that you'll break things.
-
New Vulnerability Discovered in Linux Kernel
Hiding out for nearly 15 years, the Ghostlock vulnerability allows a standard logged-in user to gain root privileges.