It's My Browser and I'll Auto-Click if I Want To!

Phil Windley // Fri Oct 30 15:02:00 2009 // eff google kynetx online+rights purpose+web sidewiki

A month ago, I posted a piece claiming my right to a purpose-centric web. In it, I stated:

I claim the right to mash-up, remix, annotate, augment, and otherwise modify Web content for my purposes in my browser using any tool I choose and I extend to everyone else that same privilege.

Not surprisingly, the EFF agrees with me. Not on this exact issue, but in the spirit of the user having the right to control the experience on their own machine. They say:

Free file hosting provider MediaFire seems to think that, when you follow a link to download a file from its service, it has the right to control your browser. This is yet another example of a web site owner forgetting that it's your computer, and it's none of their business how you choose to experience their web pages.
From It's My Browser, and I'll Auto-Click if I Want To | Electronic Frontier Foundation
Referenced Fri Oct 30 2009 14:58:05 GMT-0600 (MST)

And then later:

Fortunately, there's nothing in the law that says that by simply visiting a website, I give up the right to control my desktop.
From It's My Browser, and I'll Auto-Click if I Want To
Referenced Fri Oct 30 2009 14:57:26 GMT-0600 (MST)

Read the article for the particulars, but the bottom line is that users should control their experience and choose their browser--not Web site owners.