Where by "Internet" I mean "running 3rd party code talking back to a server over a global network". One way is going back to the original WWW design of hyperlinked documents, removing cookies and javascript altogether. Tracking becomes limited to the set of hyperlinked documents accessed, which could be proxied by a 3rd party for anonymization purposes. However, there are a few downsides.
* No authentication to remote servers. Forget web email, shopping or banking. On the plus side, forget social media as well.
> One way is going back to the original WWW design of hyperlinked documents, removing cookies and javascript altogether.
While it doesn't seem likely to be viable even for a single person (primarily because of the government and banking services), it sounds rather nice to me, and such a sentiment pops up here and there.
> No authentication to remote servers.
No certain types of custom authentication, but standard HTTP authentication doesn't require executing freshly loaded code. Even custom forms-based authentication doesn't require to do that, or to use cookies.
> No business model for content publishers.
This is probably meant to be exaggerated; surely there are content publisher business models not reliant on JS-powered advertisement (e.g., subscriptions, tracking-free advertisements, donations, perhaps merchandise).
> No rich web UIs, for example maps.
I find this example rather interesting: it's a common and old application of pushing the limits of web browsers, and a seemingly common example of the need to do so (perhaps because maps are useful to many people, and the need in a specialized UI for those is hardly controversial). But it also seems quite sensible to me to use a dedicated program (which doesn't run on top of a web browser, that is) for mapping.
Thank you. The business model is likely faulty reasoning by my part: Observe that in current world the most effective business model is advertisement, out-competing alternatives, then incorrectly concluding it is the best in all possible worlds.
Where by "Internet" I mean "running 3rd party code talking back to a server over a global network". One way is going back to the original WWW design of hyperlinked documents, removing cookies and javascript altogether. Tracking becomes limited to the set of hyperlinked documents accessed, which could be proxied by a 3rd party for anonymization purposes. However, there are a few downsides.
* No authentication to remote servers. Forget web email, shopping or banking. On the plus side, forget social media as well.
* No business model for content publishers.
* No rich web UIs, for example maps.
Is there a middle ground?