This document shows the title (minus [SAMPLE]), style (usual W3C
TR), type (W3C Working Draft is the default name for all our work),
the "Status of This Document" text and the structure that the
TechPolig Notes will use. Deep Linking is just taken as an example to
provide content within the overall structure used. Do not evaluate the
Deep Linking embryonic text
Status: DD, May 7th, s/until/unless in the last para of the Status
section - June 3rd, add "nor represents the W3C Membership position"
Abstract
This document describes the analysis done by the TechPolig on Deep
Linking. This issue arises from legislations making it
illegal to link to some content.
Status of This Document
This section describes the status of this document at the time of
its publication. Other documents may supersede this document. A list
of current W3C
publications and the latest revision of this technical report can be
found in the W3C
technical reports index at http://www.w3.org/TR/.
This document is published by the Technology
and Policy Interest Group as a working document. It is not
intended to become a W3C Recommendation. Nothing in this document is
normative, nor represents the W3C Membership position, it is only a
technical analysis of a policy related topic relevant to the Web, which
tries to highlight all sides of the issue.
@@ The next two paragraphs will be used while the document is
Member-only and will be changed if it becomes public
This is a draft document and may be updated, replaced or obsoleted by
other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to cite this document
as other than work in progress.
This document is Member-only visible and will stay at this level of
confidentiality unless it has received a proper AC review and Director's
approval.
Overview
@@ A couple of paragraphs presenting the policy issue and and the
conflict it generates
People engaged in delivering information or services via the World Wide
Web typically speak in terms of "Web sites" which have "home pages" or
"portal pages." Deep linking is the practice of
publishing a hyperlink from a page on one site to a page "inside"
another site, bypassing the "home" or "portal" page.
Certain Web publishers wish to prevent or control deep linking into
their site, and wish to establish a right to exercise such control as a
matter of public policy, i.e., through litigation based on existing law
or by instituting new legislation.
Such an approach undermines a fundamental piece of the Web
architecture: freedom to link anywhere.
This document analyses this issue from a technologigal point of view.
1. Problem
statement
@@ A longer presentation of the issue, with the various aspects
and points of view.
Deep linking is the use of a URI pointing to a specific piece of
content on a site rather than to the site's home page.
The formal definition of the URI, on which all of the software that
successfully drives the Web is built, has no notion of a "home" or
"portal" page, nor does any of the vast amount of software deployed to
process URIs. Thus, from the point of view of the underlying technology,
all links are deep links, used to identify a Web resource.
....
2. Relation to
W3C
@@ Why is it relevant to this group at W3C, to the Web and its
usage, and why we're looking at it now.
W3C's mission is to lead the Web to its full potential and the freedom
of all links is necessary to achieve it. This is an issue we have
already addressed several times. See https://www.w3.org/2001/tag/doc/deeplinking.html.
Why are we addressing this topic ?.
We have used a set of three ranking criteria to priotitize the
TechPolig topics considered by the group: consensus, impact, and
timeliness.
Deep Linking scored high on all three.
Impact: As high as the hyperlink can be for the Web core
architecture.
Consensus: There seems to be wide consensus on the legality of
linking to lawful content only protected by obscurity, but it's less
clear if linking to illegal content is as consensual.
Timeliness: Legislations and court cases are still active aroung
this topic, mixing link and copyright issues.
3. Findings
@@ This is the real content, it should present the details of the
discussions, the potential consensus, disagreements, etc.
Preamble
There is a clear distinction between identifying a resource and
accessing it. It is entirely reasonable to control access to a resource,
but entirely futile to prevent it being identified (and therefore
accessed, if not protected through valid credentials).
Risks of implementing a deep-linked legal constraint
The onset of legislation and litigation based on confusion between
identification and access has the potential to impair the future
development of the Web.
Rationales for such a policy
....
....
A. References
References to other group discussing this issue, Public positions,
Legislations, etc.