Recently, Google introduced the Picture-in-Picture mode for Chrome users. This feature is currently available for both PC and mobile devices, but it only supports video content at this time. However, this will change soon. .
According to a recent from the developers, new capabilities may be planned for this feature. In addition to video, it might support the execution of arbitrary HTML code and other content. Essentially, this will serve as an enhanced version of pop-up windows.
Reportedly, the displayed content can be interactive or not. Currently, to display video in the PiP window, HTMLVideoElement is used, which takes the video layer and places it in a window that follows display rules specific to Picture-in-Picture. However, this raises several security concerns. It is suggested that such features won't depend on user demand or desire. Instead, the 'weather' will be shaped by the intentions of Google's partners. This is also likely to be exploited by malicious actors who will place arbitrary code, ads, and so on in such windows.
At present, it is not clarified when the new capability will appear in a release or at least in a Canary test version, making it difficult to predict its market release timeline. It is possible that if this feature proves to be too unsafe, Google may abandon it completely. However, hopes for that are low.
It should also be noted that even legitimate resources will likely experiment with ads and other data in the PiP window, which could negatively impact the performance of PCs and the program. Nonetheless, this is still just a theory.
Source: 3dnews.ru
