[compute-pressure] "power-supply" is a fingerprinting vector (#195)

pes10k has just created a new issue for https://github.com/w3c/compute-pressure:

== "power-supply" is a fingerprinting vector ==
This issue is being filed as part of the [requested PING review](https://github.com/w3cping/privacy-request/issues/113)

The proposal allows the site to learn if the user is using a laptop to access the device (if the "Contributing Factors" API returns "power-supply"). I appreciate that the text says there may be other issues that could trigger this other than the device reducing CPU cycles to preserve battery, but it seems likely that the batter is going to be the most common (far and away) case here.

This is a fingerprinting vector and so is privacy harming. Further, it seems like this information is useful at most to a niche of a fraction of a sliver of uses (if a site is going to change its behavior because of compute pressure, I expect that in the vast majority of cases it doesn't mater _why_ the device is experiencing compute pressure).

I recommend removing this feature from the proposal.


Please view or discuss this issue at https://github.com/w3c/compute-pressure/issues/195 using your GitHub account


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Received on Tuesday, 21 March 2023 01:50:26 UTC