#841 XR Ethics: Ethical Web Principles from the W3C Technical Architecture Group

dan-applequistThe W3C Technical Architecture Group (TAG) published a set of Ethical Web Principles on May 30, 2019 in order to provide an ethical framework when evaluating new standards. The TAG group doesn’t have any formal power in the W3C, but their recommendations are meant to help new emerging web standards see if there are any ethical blindspots in new and emerging web standards and protocols.

I had a chance to talk to one of the editors of these ethical web principles, Daniel Appelquist, who is the Lead Developer Advocate on the Samsung Internet Browser team. We talk about the evolution of these ethical web principles, and how it’s already been used to help flag that the WebXR specification needs to try to make the accessibility concerns for immersive tech more of a priority. There is a W3C Inclusive Design for Immersive Web standards workshop happening in Seattle on November 5th & 6th in order to see how the accessibility needs can be better addressed by the WebXR specification. Appelquist also said that the Samsung Internet Browser team was committed to delivering the WebXR spec by the second quarter of 2020 within the Samsung Internet Browser.

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Music: Fatality