The Free and Open Web Is Under Attack at the IETF
The EFF warns that proposals at the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) threaten the open web by pushing changes that could weaken encryption and centralize control, limiting user autonomy and online access.
Background
The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is the key standards body that develops the technical protocols (like HTTP, TCP/IP, and TLS) that make the web work. It operates on a rough-consensus, open-participation model that has historically kept the web free and interoperable.
The EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) is arguing that this open model is now under threat from large corporate interests (pushing standards that favor proprietary platforms or weaken user privacy/security). The article likely discusses specific proposals or procedural changes at the IETF that would concentrate power in the hands of a few big companies, undermining the decentralized, permissionless nature of the web.