Group Note Draft: Web User Agents

The Technical Architecture Group has published the first draft of a Group Note titled Web User Agents. Web user agents include both web browsers and other intermediaries between end-users and the web. Each user agent serves its user, not any of the other constituencies. A user agent owes its user various duties, which should be established through collective discussions and embodied in the various standards that user agents implement.

This document is intended for: 

• Technical authors who want to reuse or reference these concepts in their own specifications or documentation.
• User agent developers who want to align implementations with design and privacy principles that prioritize their users.
• Web developers who want to understand why user agents prioritize user privacy and security over other constituencies, including developer convenience.
• Regulators and policymakers who seek to understand the duties, principles, and expectations guiding user agent behavior.

Feedback and comments on this document are welcome. Please file an issue in this document’s GitHub repository.