Cloudflare, Major Browsers To Develop Privacy-Preserving Web Verification Standard

KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 (Bernama) -- Cloudflare Inc has announced a new initiative with major web browsers, including Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, to develop a privacy-preserving protocol aimed at helping websites distinguish legitimate users and authorised automated agents from malicious traffic.

The connectivity cloud company said the proposed standard, known as Private Access Control Tokens (PACT), is designed to allow websites to verify that a request originates from a human or an authorised bot without relying on invasive tracking methods or frequent CAPTCHA challenges.

Cloudflare Chief Technology Officer, Dane Knecht said the initiative comes as artificial intelligence (AI)-powered agents increasingly perform online tasks on behalf of users, creating new challenges for website operators seeking to manage automated traffic.

“The way we interact with the Internet is facing a fundamental shift,” he said in a statement.

According to Cloudflare, PACT would enable trusted platforms to issue anonymous tokens that browsers can present to other websites as proof that a human is involved, while preventing websites from tracking users or their browsing activity.

The initiative will be submitted for standardisation and is supported by industry participants, including Shopify, Mozilla and Microsoft.

Cloudflare said the protocol is intended to provide businesses with greater confidence in identifying genuine visitors while preserving user privacy and supporting a more secure online experience.

-- BERNAMA