W3C

Web Payments Working Group

21 Sep 2017

Agenda

See also: IRC log

Attendees

Present
Ian, NickTR, Manu, DaveLongley, Ken, ChrisMarconi, AdrianHB, alyver, DavidLehn, David_Lehn, Roy, LauraTownsend, dezell, AnaGrace
Chair
AdrianHB
Scribe
Ian

Contents


<scribe> Scribe: Ian

Digital Bazaar Polyfill

Manu email: https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-payments-wg/2017Sep/0042.html

Manu: We are trying to hit as many browsers as we can, with different form factors
... UNTIL there is native support for PR API
... addresses both PR API and Payment Handler
... three scenarios:

1) Neither PR API nor PH implemented

2) PR API implemented but not PH

3) Third party payment handlers supported

scribe: polyfill does its best to maximize functionality
... in today's demo we run the polyfill in Safari. Safari does not have service workers
... what this demonstrates is that even with some core functionality missing, this is still possible

[Manu adds cards]

[Part II of demo - click on the buy button]

Manu: We do some pre-caching to speed up user experience

<nicktr> Manu: deployable now

<nicktr> ...target audience is 2.8B people

<nicktr> ...polyfill almost entirely JavaScript

<nicktr> ...nothing server side

<nicktr> ... v fast to iterate and release within a week

Manu: There is no backing database

<nicktr> dezell: what's not js?

Manu: we chose not to do that; information is stored in indexdd or or local storage

<nicktr> Manu: only the web server

Ken: This is very interesting; thank you
... How does this affect top of wallet selection by the user?
... How would this affect the value proposition for merchants, payment instruments?

Manu: Regarding top-of-wallet...that's a topic of ongoing discussion in the group.
... whatever consensus there is, we can impelment.
... we are preferring what the user wants
... some options:

1) Show the entire list, randomized

2) Sort the cards based on what the user has selected most frequently

scribe: we could store user information client side

3) Merchants can signal preferences which are reflected on the user side

scribe: we would only do that if there is WG consensus
... so at a high level, we will defer to the WG

Manu: regarding value proposition
... I don't think much changes for merchants here
... the polyfill is not quite ready, but in a few months after testing, etc. the WG can promote the API with the polyfill as a transition path
... there are security and performance advantages of native implementation
... but I think the value proposition for DEVELOPERS goes up
... they can start to experiment

Ken: My understanding is that this is intended as an interim solution. But I see this as potentially being used on a permanent basis.

Manu: The plan is that if the WG's features are implemented, then native implementations will take over, and the polypill will defer to native
... there is a possibility that, if some of the browser vendors decide they don't want to implement something like payment handlers, the polyfill could support third party payment apps in those browsers.
... it could also support experimentation
... if there are enough people wanting to experiment with something behind a flag, the polyfill could still support it
... we could also extend the polyfill to support other features not discussed in the WPWG
... one example could be around credential handling
... there is a lot of similarity between handing payment information to the merchant and handing assertions to the merchant
... we could use this polyfill framework to exchange social data.

(Ian thinks that where the polyfill departs from WG activity; that should be signaled somehow)

AdrianHB: It would make sense for this to be hosted at the same origin irrespective of where used
... does this need to be hosted in one place, or could merchants host it themselves and still expect it to work?

Manu: Our biggest concern about the polyfill, there needs to be a payment mediator website.
... there should only be one of those
... we are suggesting that we use one payment mediator site
... there's a security concern
... if someone were to get access to that site, because we do things like basic card and don't do end-to-end encryption, people could read data
... through a man-in-the-middle attack.
... if we had end-to-end encryption, details would not be available
... this is no different from someone injecting a script on other sites
... we use mitigations like code signing, continuous monitoring (of hashes of scripts)
... we can do things like use service workers for browsers that have them to only download the polyfill code once unless manually reloaded
... we'd like to share the burden of running the polyfill site with other companies

<Zakim> AdrianHB, you wanted to ask about hosting and origin security

Manu: There are parts of the polyfill hosted on the merchant site, and parts hosted on the payment handler side.
... the only part we can't do that with is the mediator code, which is small but centralized

AdrianHB: The mediator code is client-side JS, right?
... it seems like you could resist tampering with hash-based protections
... sub resource integrity

<Zakim> dezell, you wanted to ask about E2E

dezell: What is in your mind regarding end-to-end encryption?
... do you think some of the tokenization discussions in the WG would help?

Manu: There are two levels of the concern. One is doing the bare minimum in protecting the card data....
... tokenization would help
... what we'd really like to see is complete end-to-end encryption

(See the nascent encrypted card spec => https://github.com/w3c/webpayments-methods-tokenization/wiki/encrypted_card)

Manu: this is probably a new payment method

<manu> Ian: Just wanted to get a clarification...

Manu: Data passes through a third party, which is the mediator web site

IJ: Is that a source of concern?

Manu: It acts in the same role as the browser
... the benefit for the payment mediator is that all the code can be verified
... so it's a bit more open that proprietary browser code
... but I do expect this to be a topic of debate
... orgs that aren't comfortable with this don't have to use the polyfill.

<manu> Ian: Similarly, concerns raised as things going in the clear is the same as web forms are submitted today.

AdrianHB: Thanks Manu!

TPAC 2017

Please register

https://www.w3.org/2002/09/wbs/35125/TPAC2017/

https://www.w3.org/2017/11/TPAC/

<manu> Ian: We are going up against DreamForce ... please reserve... room blocks are precious.

6 October break point

<manu> Ian: After that date, registration fee goes up, it gets harder and harder to attend.

https://github.com/w3c/webpayments/wiki/FTF-Nov2017

<manu> Ian: Rechartering the WG is something we'll discuss at TPAC.

Draft Charter

https://w3c.github.io/webpayments/proposals/charter-2017

<manu> Ian: One of the gaps in the charter is new topics that the group should pick up... I'd like to work up introductory proposals so the group can go through them at the F2F meeting.

<manu> Ian: Let's get a sense from people about what they'd specifically like to be covered in the charter. W3C Members like specific deliverables... open ended charters create concerns around patents.

<manu> Ian: People that are interested in us covering certain topics should reach out to Chairs and me - we should make sure they're on the Agenda. You can type things in on the Agenda that you'd like to discuss.

Manu: When is the charter going to be finalized?

<manu> Ian: The Agenda will be finalized a week before the meeting...

IJ: I would like to start review in Dec and extend group; expect rechartered by Feb

<manu> Ian: Charter expires on Dec 31st... I'd like to take a charter to management by 3rd week of November... start the review, which would go into January. When review starts, group extension is probably provided.

Marcos' todo list before TPAC for PR API

https://github.com/w3c/payment-request/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+label%3ACR-Exit

<nicktr> Would encourage everyone to review the the proposed revised charter

AdrianHB: We asked for comments on these before end of TPAC

IJ: Let's start walking through in calls up to TPAC

Roy: Not up to speed

<scribe> ACTION: AdrianHB and chairs to check with Editors on how to manage this list [recorded in http://www.w3.org/2017/09/21-wpwg-minutes.html#action01]

<trackbot> Created ACTION-67 - And chairs to check with editors on how to manage this list [on Adrian Hope-Bailie - due 2017-09-28].

<manu> Ian: My interpretation of that date ... a couple of functions. We want substantive comments in as early as possible. It sets an expectation that we won't advance to PR until after that date.

<manu> Ian: I don't believe it means people can't comment after that date.

<manu> Ian: We set that date w/ TPAC in mind... to prompt comments.

Manu: Let's not use that date to say "we cannot further accept comments"

<manu> Ian: That's not the date that says we're going to leave CR... it's just a minimal date.

<manu> Ian: I don't think the process authorizes the group to stop listening to input, but the group... over time... is increasingly licensed to postpone things because the spec is maturing.

<manu> Ian: People can raise issues at PR, they can be taken into account, but it becomes more socially expected that things raised late in the process may not lead to changes.

AdrianHB: I think that interpreting it as a "minimum" time is the right way to do it
... I've done a blog post on the feature at risk

https://medium.com/@ahopebailie/currencysystem-is-at-risk-d29aebafdd38

Payment Apps Task Force next steps

AdrianHB: the task force has disbanded
... henceforth those topics will move to this agenda

next meeting

AdrianHB: I suggest we meet next week and focus on TPAC agenda and charter

IJ: Let's also consider https://github.com/w3c/payment-request/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+label%3ACR-Exit

Next meeting: 28 September

<AdrianHB> https://medium.com/@ahopebailie/currencysystem-is-at-risk-d29aebafdd38

[No regrets signaled]

AdrianHB: Thanks Manu and Dave

Summary of Action Items

[NEW] ACTION: AdrianHB and chairs to check with Editors on how to manage this list [recorded in http://www.w3.org/2017/09/21-wpwg-minutes.html#action01]
 

Summary of Resolutions

[End of minutes]

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