Hi David,

On 2021-01-03 10:37, you wrote:

> Last night, I tried to watch the Doctor Who New Year Special on ABC iview 
> using Google Chrome. A PG classification warning played, then nothing. The 
> situation with Pale Moon is similar. Switching to Brave, I got a message 
> about Google Widevine.
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widevine
> At that point, I gave up.
> 
> If/when someone cracks it, I'll probably download a torrent of the program. I 
> doubt that's the effect they're hoping for.

I believe Widevine is a DRM package owned by Google which is now integrated 
into Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome but probably not into less mainstream 
browsers, however a plugin may be available.

In Firefox the configuration variable  "Play DRM-controlled content"  must  to 
ticked, and I guess that enables all installed DRM plugins (there are others).  
Widevine is also listed under Tools > Add-ons, where it can be explicitly 
disabled if you have alternatives, but I can't find an "always ask" option.  
And finally, there's a useful article with more explanations & options at 
https://privacysavvy.com/security/safe-browsing/firefox-privacy-security-ultimate-guide/

But this is the bit that gets on my pulse.....

It seems trackers such as EFF's Privacy Badger must be disabled when accessing 
some websites having _no_ streaming or DRM content all.  This probably explains 
why the Badger must be disabled in order to display useful information from 
https://covid19data.com.au and it lists these trackers:
        www.google-analytics.com
        e.infogram.com
        www.paypal.com
        www.paypalobjects.com
        apps.wix.com
        frog.wix.com

Apparently <wix.com> is a cloud company which hosts <covid19data.com.au> 
however the website won't work until all six are enabled, so I presume their 
presence generates tracking income for Wix.

I think it's sad to see such companies infesting what would otherwise be an 
extremely useful source of open pandemic data important to public health.

However ABC & SBS have excellent free-to-air news coverage (not news as 
entertainment) and ABC Radio is a national treasure IMO, but otherswise It's 
time to start reading books again folks!  Remember them?

Best wishes to all Linkers for 2021!
David Lochrin
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