Comment by filoleg
6 months ago
This is not the case. That API is available to any extensions for chrome. Including those made by other companies that don’t control the browser.
Here[0] are the docs for the specific one discussed above, for example.
0. https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/reference/api/s...
Other extensions, not other websites. This functionality is a feature of the Google Meet website that other video conferencing websites cannot offer.
They can, if those other websites provide an accompanying extension for it. Are you aware that the Zoom website can use the Zoom extension to have that exact same type of interactions?
In fact, that’s literally how other videoconferencing websites operate and have been since forever (the dreaded cisco webex extension comes to mind). The only difference is that GMeet can be counted as a part of the browser itself, so it requires no additional extension.
> GMeet can be counted as a part of the browser itself, so it requires no additional extension.
That is the enraging part. If I install extensions, I am aware that they could send information and diagnostic stuff. Plain websites shouldn't be able to. Also (not 100% sure here), afaik Firefox tells me which information the extension gets, so there's even more awareness about the information sent.
Also, which VC websites are you talking about? Zoom doesn't need a extension, BigBlueButton and Jitsy don't need a extension, afaik Teams also doesn't need it. People using WebEx certainly don't care about privacy so actually I would leave that out. (Googled it, since I never use it: apparently WebEx also doesn't use an extension anymore, although I remember the old plugin that they required some time ago, that barely worked at all)
> GMeet can be counted as a part of the browser itself
That's the part that is arguably an antitrust violation.
See e.g. https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsofts-browser-bundling-ba...
Cisco is the only recent-ish video chat app I can think of that has required an extension.
The other I can remember is original Hangouts about a decade ago, cause at the time WebRTC wasn't commonly supported. Chrome was the only browser that didn't need an extension for that, but you know what, other VC apps were free to use Chrome's early WebRTC features too, and they later did.