On 01/28/2018 07:38 PM, Cecilia Tanaka wrote:
Hello from Brazil, Shiny Happy TTC People! :D
May someone give a really good technical answer to my friends, please? <3
I will need to share the answer about the use of JavaScript with two other discussion lists, where I also received a "not-so-good" feedback in private. Sorry but I am using an euphemism, uh! :P
People have superstitious beliefs about most of the things they know exist but don't understand. They know Javascript exists but they do not know how it works, therefore it must be either Good or Evil. In this frame of reference, Evil would be the "most correct" answer, because Javascript does get used for Evil purposes like diverting users' web browsers to hostile sites, inflicting unwanted porn ads on them, and otherwise controlling the user's browser against the user's will. Allowing a web browser to execute Javascript from random sources also crates an attack surface for actual malware, with a variety of bad outcomes for the end user. In more rational terms, Javascript is neither Good nor Evil, it's just software that web browsers download from websites and run automatically. Most often Javascript qualifies as "junk software", eating system resources and annoying website visitors for no reason other than fashion. Javascript that enables browsers to present interactive maps, online games etc. would qualify as Good. The most widely distributed Javascript code in the world is the Google Analytics tracker; this code qualifies as Evil, since most users do NOT want their browsing habits to be under total surveillance, and doubly so because most users have no idea it exists. Calling a website that teaches people how to AVOID most user surveillance and profiling on the networks Evil because it uses Javascript seems a bit silly to me. The site teachers users about Javascript and how to control it, along with lots of other privacy and security information and tools. As a net result, users gain a LOT more control over their privacy and security situation relative to the Internet. Would the Data Detox Kit be a "better" website without Javascript? I think so. Its designers think otherwise. They probably base their position on an assessment that they way /they/ use Javascript makes the site more convenient for most end users, leading to more public uptake of the privacy and security tools and information provided. :o)