22794 2013-07-24 11:10:21 +0000 Images with blank alt descriptions must be purely decorative according to spec 2013-09-17 07:05:55 +0000 1 1 1 Unclassified HTML WG HTML5 spec unspecified All All RESOLVED WORKSFORME a11y P1 normal --- 1 larsbeck faulkner.steve faulkner.steve mark.sadecki+w3c mike public-html-admin public-html-wg-issue-tracking robin public-html-bugzilla oldest_to_newest 91221 0 larsbeck 2013-07-24 11:10:21 +0000 "Mark up purely decorative images so they can be ignored by assistive technology by using an empty alt attribute (alt="")." By implication to the above-mentioned every image with a blank alt description must answer just decorative purposes, impaired visitors and their access technologies cannot know if the author just forgot or omited a description. http://www.w3.org/html/wg/drafts/html/master/embedded-content-0.html#a-purely-decorative-image-that-doesn't-add-any-information 93474 1 faulkner.steve 2013-09-17 07:05:55 +0000 EDITOR'S RESPONSE: This is an Editor's Response to your comment. If you are satisfied with this response, please change the state of this bug to CLOSED. If you have additional information and would like the Editor to reconsider, please reopen this bug. If you would like to escalate the issue to the full HTML Working Group, please add the TrackerRequest keyword to this bug, and suggest title and text for the Tracker Issue; or you may create a Tracker Issue yourself, if you are able to do so. For more details, see this document: http://dev.w3.org/html5/decision-policy/decision-policy.html Status: works for me Change Description: no change Rationale: The use of alt="" to mark images that are decorative is a long standing accessibility technique. (example http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG-TECHS/H67.html).