Re: Privacy implications of automatic alternative selection (Re: Acessibility of <audio> and <video>)

On Sep 11, 2008, at 21:07, T.V Raman wrote:

> The user picking a particular alternative does not necessarily
> directly reveal a physical disability -- it merely reflects the
> abilities of the accessing user at any given point in time. This
> difference may be subtle, but it is significant --- I'm prepared
> to say "right now I am not in a position to see the screen, send
> me audio" --- as a user when I download a given alternative.
> This is different from my saying "I cannot see, give me an
> alternative"


Yes, a site can't accurately tell form one datapoint. However, if the  
user's agent always requests for versions of particular kind and the  
site can track user identity over time, the site can make a more  
accurate guess of the reason.

-- 
Henri Sivonen
hsivonen@iki.fi
http://hsivonen.iki.fi/

Received on Friday, 12 September 2008 09:15:36 UTC