Sunbelt Computer Software

Web Monetization allows websites to automatically receive payments from users, facilitated by the user agent and a user's preferred monetization provider.

Model

Monetization:

Payments made by a user to a website, facilitated through a [=monetization provider=].

Monetized:

A [^link^] element is monetized when it has the `monetization` keyword; its `href` then gives a [=wallet address=]. A [=document=] is monetized when it contains a monetized [^link^] element.

Monetization provider:

The party making payments on behalf of the user. A monetization provider leverages the [[[Interledger]]] suite of protocols and technologies (e.g., [[[open-payments]]] based on [[STREAM]]) to provide a high-level way to pay a [=monetization receiver=].

Monetization receiver:

The party receiving payments on behalf of the website, whose details are provided by a [=wallet address=].

Wallet address:

A [=URL=] to an Open Payments API entry-point (i.e., a JSON resource containing details that facilitate payment to an account).

Payment session

A session between a [=monetization provider=] and [=monetization receiver=] initiated by the [=user agent=] at the [=monetization receiver=]. One or more payments can be [=initiated=] by the [=monetization provider=] in a single session. A payment has an amount (a {{PaymentCurrencyAmount}}), an incoming payment [=URL=], and a [=wallet address=].

Initiated payment

A payment that the [=monetization provider=] has started towards the [=monetization receiver=] within a [=payment session=]. The underlying payment layers could complete a payment asynchronously, so an initiated payment is not a guarantee that the [=monetization receiver=] has received the amount.

Link type "monetization"

The `monetization` keyword indicates a [=wallet address=] used to monetize the document. It indicates that some aspect of the document is [=monetized=].

The `monetization` keyword MAY be used with [^link^] elements. This keyword creates an [=external resource link=]. This keyword is body-ok.

A user agent MUST NOT delay the load event for this link type.

A user agent MAY restrict the number of concurrent [=payment sessions=] it simultaneously supports.

The default type for resources given by the `monetization` keyword is `application/json`.

A [^link^] element with this link type has an associated payment session, a [=payment session=] or null. It is initially null.

The appropriate times to fetch and process this type of link are:

• When the [=external resource link=] is created on a [^link^] element that is already [=browsing-context connected=].

• When the [=external resource link=]'s [^link^] element becomes [=browsing-context connected=].

• When the [^link/href^] attribute of the [^link^] element of an [=external resource link=] that is already [=browsing-context connected=] is changed.

• When the [^link/disabled^] attribute of the [^link^] element of an [=external resource link=] that is already [=browsing-context connected=] is set, changed, or removed.

• When the [^link/crossorigin^] attribute of the [^link^] element of an [=external resource link=] that is already [=browsing-context connected=] is set, changed, or removed.

• When the [^link/type^] attribute of the [^link^] element of an [=external resource link=] that is already [=browsing-context connected=] is set or changed to a value that does not or no longer matches the Content-Type metadata of the previous obtained external resource, if any.

• When the [^link/type^] attribute of the [^link^] element of an [=external resource link=] that is already [=browsing-context connected=], but was previously not obtained due to the [^link/type^] attribute specifying an unsupported type, is set, removed, or changed.

The fetch and process the linked resource algorithm for this type, given a [^link^] element |element|, is as follows:

1. Stop |element|'s [=associated payment session=], if any, and set it to null.
2. Run the default fetch and process the linked resource given |element|.

The linked resource fetch setup steps for this type of linked resource, given a [^link^] element |element:HTMLLinkElement| and [=request=] |request|, are:

1. If |element|'s [^link/disabled^] attribute is set, return false.

2. If |element|'s [=Node/node document|node document=] is not [=allowed to use=] the "monetization" feature, return false.

3. Set |request|'s [=request/initiator=] to "`document`".

4. Set |request|'s [=request/destination=] to "`monetization`".

5. Set |request|'s [=request/mode=] to "`cors`".

6. Set |request|'s [=request/credentials mode=] to the [=CORS settings attribute credentials mode=] for |element|'s [^link/crossorigin^] content attribute.

7. Return true.

To process this type of linked resource given a [^link^] element |element|, boolean |success|, and [=response=] |response|:

1. If, since the resource in question was fetched, it has become appropriate to fetch it again, return.

2. If |element| no longer creates a `monetization` [=external resource link=], or is not [=browsing-context connected=], return.

3. If |response|'s status is not an OK status, then set |success| to false.

4. Otherwise, if |response|'s Content-Type metadata is not `application/json`, then set |success| to false.

5. Let |json| be the result of [=parse JSON bytes to an Infra value=] passing |response|'s [=Response/body=].
6. If |json| is an exception, then set |success| to false.

7. If the user agent has exhausted the number of allowed [=payment sessions=], set |success| to false.

8. If |success| is true, start a new [=payment session=] and set it as |element|'s [=associated payment session=].
9. [=Queue an element task=] on the [=networking task source=] given |element| and the following steps:
   1. If |success| is true, [=fire an event=] named `"load"` at |element|.
   2. Otherwise, [=fire an event=] named `"error"` at |element|.

When a [^link^] element stops creating a "monetization" [=external resource link=], or stops being [=browsing-context connected=], a user agent MUST stop its [=associated payment session=], if any, and set it to null.

Events

          partial interface mixin GlobalEventHandlers {
            attribute EventHandler onmonetization;
          };
        

Task sources

The following [=task source=] is defined by this specification.

The monetization task source

Used by this specification to queue up non-blocking {{MonetizationEvent}}s.

`MonetizationCurrencyAmount` interface

The `MonetizationCurrencyAmount` interface maps directly to the {{PaymentCurrencyAmount}} dictionary.

          [SecureContext, Exposed=Window]
          interface MonetizationCurrencyAmount {
            readonly attribute DOMString currency;
            readonly attribute DOMString value;
          };
      

`MonetizationEvent` interface

        [SecureContext, Exposed=Window]
        interface MonetizationEvent : Event {
          constructor(DOMString type, MonetizationEventInit eventInitDict);
          readonly attribute MonetizationCurrencyAmount amountSent;
          readonly attribute USVString? incomingPayment;
          readonly attribute USVString walletAddress;

          // Following are deprecated
          readonly attribute DOMString? amount;
          readonly attribute DOMString? assetCode;
          readonly attribute octet? assetScale;
          readonly attribute DOMString? receipt;
          readonly attribute USVString paymentPointer;
        };

        dictionary MonetizationEventInit : EventInit {
          required PaymentCurrencyAmount amountSent;
          required USVString? incomingPayment;
          required USVString walletAddress;

          // Following are deprecated
          required DOMString? amount;
          required DOMString? assetCode;
          required octet? assetScale;
          required DOMString? receipt;
          required USVString paymentPointer;
        };
      

The [=event constructing steps=] for {{MonetizationEvent}}, given |event| and |eventInitDict|, are:

1. Set |event|'s {{MonetizationEvent/amountSent}} to the result of [=create a monetization currency amount|creating a monetization currency amount=] given |eventInitDict|["amountSent"] and |event|'s [=relevant realm=].

Permissions Policy integration

This specification defines a [=policy-controlled feature=] identified by the string "monetization". Its default allowlist is `'self'`.

Content Security Policy

          directive-name  = "monetization-src"
          directive-value = serialized-source-list
        

Security considerations

It is RECOMMENDED that a user agent provide some UI or indicator that allows the user to know when [=monetization=] is possible and/or when [=monetization=] is occurring. Providing such a UI allows the users to retain control of the monetization process by taking action (e.g., stop or start monetization of a particular site if they wish to do so).

As [=wallet addresses=] are generally provided as a service, a XSS attack could inject malicious [=wallet addresses=] into a page that uses the same service. To mitigate such an attack, it is RECOMMENDED that developers:

• host a [=wallet address=] on their own servers and proxy [[open-payments]] requests on the server as needed.
• Set the `monetization-src` CSP directive to restrict requests to origins they control and trust to host [=wallet addresses=].

Privacy considerations

Web Monetization is designed to be privacy-preserving: the user agent only shares data with the [=monetization provider=] and the [=monetization receiver=] as they need it.

The [=monetization provider=] only receives what it needs to send a payment: the amount, and the [=wallet address=] to pay. The user agent does not send the URL of the document, or of any other page the user visits, to the [=monetization provider=].

The user agent does not send data about the user to the [=monetization receiver=]. To set up a [=payment session=], it fetches the [=wallet address=] instead.