W3C published the report of the W3C Workshop on Privacy and User– Centric Controls workshop held on 20-21 November 2014 in Berlin. This exploratory workshop attracted extensive participation, including browser vendors, researchers, network operators, entrepreneurs, and government representatives.The group recognized that issues related to implementing and achieving adoption related to privacy and security may be similar to those for accessibility and internationalization. The Workshop identified concrete next steps that will be brought to the attention of the Privacy Interest Group for further discussion. The Workshop was hosted by Deutsche Telekom and sponsored by the European Commission. Learn more about the Privacy Activity.

The Web Applications Working Group has published a Working Draft of Manifest for web application. This specification defines a JSON-based manifest that provides developers with a centralized place to put metadata associated with a web application. This includes, but is not limited to, the web application’s name, links to icons, as well as the preferred URL to open when a user launches the web application. The manifest also allows developers to declare a default orientation for their web application, as well as providing the ability to set the display mode for the application (e.g., in fullscreen). Additionally, the manifest allows a developer to “scope” a web application to a URL. This restricts the URLs to which the application can be navigated and provides a means to “deep link” into a web application from other applications. Learn more about the Rich Web Client Activity.

The Device APIs Working Group has published a Working Draft of Wake Lock API. This document specifies an API that allows web applications to request a wake lock. A wake lock prevents some aspect of the device from entering a power-saving state (e.g., preventing the system from turning off the screen). Learn more about the Ubiquitous Web Applications Activity.

The Timed Text Working Group has published a Working Draft of Timed Text Markup Language 2 (TTML2). This document specifies the Timed Text Markup Language (TTML), Version 2, also known as TTML2, in terms of a vocabulary and semantics thereof. Learn more about the Video in the Web Activity.

The Web Real-Time Communications Working Group and Device APIs Working Group have published a Working Draft of Media Capture and Streams. This document defines APIs for requesting access to local multimedia devices, such as microphones or video cameras. This document also defines the MediaStream API, which provides the means to control where multimedia stream data is consumed, and provides some control over the devices that produce the media. It also exposes information about devices able to capture and render media. Learn more about the Ubiquitous Web Applications Activity.

The Device APIs Working Group has published a W3C Recommendation of Vibration API. This specification defines an API that provides access to the vibration mechanism of the hosting device. Vibration is a form of tactile feedback. Learn more about the Ubiquitous Web Applications Activity.

The Web Real-Time Communications Working Group has published a Working Draft of WebRTC 1.0: Real-time Communication Between Browsers. This document defines a set of ECMAScript APIs in WebIDL to allow media to be sent to and received from another browser or device implementing the appropriate set of real-time protocols. This specification is being developed in conjunction with a protocol specification developed by the IETF RTCWEB group and an API specification to get access to local media devices developed by the Media Capture Task Force. Learn more about the Ubiquitous Web Applications Activity.

The Web Real-Time Communications Working Group and Device APIs Working Group have published two First Public Working Drafts today:

• Audio Output Devices API. This document defines a set of JavaScript APIs that let a Web application manage how audio is rendered on the user audio output devices.
• Screen Capture. This document defines how a user’s display, or parts thereof, can be used as the source of a media stream using getOutputMedia, an extension to the Media Capture API.

Learn more about the Ubiquitous Web Applications Activity.