Alliance of web developers calls on EU to ban in-app browsers – Computer – News

The Open Web Advocacy, an alliance of web developers, has called on the European Commission to ban in-app browsers. They believe that apps should respect the choice made by users for a default browser.

Some apps open links in an in-app browser that they have created themselves and inject JavaScript into it to track data, the OWA reports. This has been known about TikTok for a few years, as well as Instagram and Facebook. It is unknown which apps inject JavaScript into an in-app browser.

Apps must respect users’ choice of a default browser, according to the web developers’ organization. By opening links in an in-app browser, apps go against DMA rules to give users that choice, they believe. The European Commission has not yet responded to the request.

Solutions are available. For example, Android has a feature called Custom Browser Tabs that opens links in the app, but this can be done with the browser engine of the default browser the user has chosen. App developers can still choose to use their own browser for this, but the EU could force Google to remove that choice. That also makes injecting JavaScript impossible. Under the DMA, Apple, among other things, made Safari in iOS removable and gave the operating system a selection screen.