Security and Privacy Self-Review Questionnaire for Generic Sensor API

Answers to the questionnaire for Generic Sensor API extension specifications can be found in corresponding repositories:

Accelerometer
Gyroscope
Magnetometer
OrientationSensor
AmbientLightSensor
ProximitySensor

3.1 Does this specification deal with personally-identifiable information?

Yes, but not directly. Concrete sensor specifications require user permissions and an assesment of applicable mitigation strategies to address potential risks. For more information, please see: Security and Privacy section.

3.2 Does this specification deal with high-value data?

Yes, but not directly.

Sensor readings are explicitly flagged by the Secure Contexts specification [POWERFUL-FEATURES] as a high-value target for network attackers. Thus all interfaces defined by this specification or extension specifications are only available within a secure context.

Indirectly, sensor readings of a concrete sensor can be used to infer user input.

3.3 Does this specification introduce new state for an origin that persists across browsing sessions?

No.

3.4 Does this specification expose persistent, cross-origin state to the web?

No.

3.5 Does this specification expose any other data to an origin that it doesn’t currently have access to?

No.

3.6 Does this specification enable new script execution/loading mechanisms?

No.

3.7 Does this specification allow an origin access to a user’s location?

Not directly; concrete sensor specifications, ie. "Geolocation Sensor" require user permissions and implementation of applicable mitigation strategies to avoid potential risks.

3.8 Does this specification allow an origin access to sensors on a user’s device?

Yes; concrete sensor specifications require user permissions to mitigate potential exposure and/or privacy issues.

See: Security & Privacy and Mitigation strategies sections.

3.9 Does this specification allow an origin access to aspects of a user’s local computing environment?

Yes. If user agent has permission to access concrete sensor, the API provides means to check whether the sensor is available within user’s local computing environment.