Augmented browsing

• Bookmarklets (1990s): Bookmarklets allowed users to run small JavaScript snippets stored as browser bookmarks, enabling quick modifications of the current webpage.{{Cite journal |last1=Wischenbart |first1=Martin |last2=Firmenich |first2=Sergio |last3=Rossi |first3=Gustavo |last4=Bosetti |first4=Gabriela |last5=Kapsammer |first5=Elisabeth |date=2021-02-01 |title=Engaging end-user driven recommender systems: personalization through web augmentation |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11042-020-09803-8 |journal=Multimedia Tools and Applications |language=en |volume=80 |issue=5 |pages=6785–6809 |doi=10.1007/s11042-020-09803-8 |issn=1573-7721|hdl=11336/138404 |hdl-access=free }}
• HyperCard (late 1980s): HyperCard introduced the concept of user-driven stacks and scripting, paving the way for more interactive customization mindsets.{{Cite web |title=Classical Hypermedia Virtues on the Web with Webstrates |url=https://www.klokmose.net/clemens/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/webstrates-hm.pdf |access-date=March 13, 2025 |website=www.klokmose.net}}
• Greasemonkey (2005): An add-on that lets users install or create “userscripts” to dynamically alter webpage content. Tampermonkey and Violentmonkey are its successor.{{Cite journal |last1=Díaz |first1=Oscar |last2=Arellano |first2=Cristóbal |last3=Azanza |first3=Maider |date=2013-05-29 |title=A language for end-user web augmentation: Caring for producers and consumers alike |url=https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2460383.2460388 |journal=ACM Trans. Web |volume=7 |issue=2 |pages=9:1–9:51 |doi=10.1145/2460383.2460388 |issn=1559-1131|url-access=subscription }}{{Cite book |last1=Arellano |first1=Cristóbal |last2=Díaz |first2=Oscar |last3=Iturrioz |first3=Jon |chapter=Crowdsourced Web Augmentation: A Security Model |series=Lecture Notes in Computer Science |date=2010 |volume=6488 |editor-last=Chen |editor-first=Lei |editor2-last=Triantafillou |editor2-first=Peter |editor3-last=Suel |editor3-first=Torsten |title=Web Information Systems Engineering – WISE 2010 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-17616-6_27 |language=en |location=Berlin, Heidelberg |publisher=Springer |pages=294–307 |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-17616-6_27 |isbn=978-3-642-17616-6}}

There are various different methods in order to accomplish web augmentation, from browser extensions to augmentation platforms, but they will all operate on making changes to the underlying DOM content of a website.{{Cite web |title=What is Web Augmentation? |url=https://www.webfuse.com/blog/web-augmentation-comprehensive-guide |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=www.webfuse.com |language=en}}

• Chrome Web Store, Firefox Add-ons, Safari Extensions: These marketplaces offer extensions that can add or change functionalities for users, covering everything from ad-blocking to user-interface tweaks.{{Cite web |title=Biblio {{!}} CPS-VO |url=https://archive.cps-vo.org/node/488/biblio?page=9&sort=title&order=desc |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=archive.cps-vo.org |language=en}}{{Cite journal |title=Web Augmentation as a Technique to Diminish User Interactions in Repetitive Tasks |url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9511488 |access-date=March 13, 2025 |journal=IEEE Access|date=2021 |doi=10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3104187 |last1=Aldalur |first1=Inigo |last2=Perez |first2=Alain |last3=Larrinaga |first3=Felix |volume=9 |pages=112686–112704 |bibcode=2021IEEEA...9k2686A |hdl=20.500.11984/5365 |hdl-access=free }}{{Cite book |last= |first= |last2= |first2= |last3= |first3= |chapter= MAWA: A Browser Extension for Mobile Web Augmentation|series= Lecture Notes in Computer Science|date=2021 |volume= 12935|editor-last=Ardito |editor-first=Carmelo |editor2-last=Lanzilotti |editor2-first=Rosa |editor3-last=Malizia |editor3-first=Alessio |editor4-last=Petrie |editor4-first=Helen |editor5-last=Piccinno |editor5-first=Antonio |editor6-last=Desolda |editor6-first=Giuseppe |editor7-last=Inkpen |editor7-first=Kori |title=Human-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2021 |chapter-url=https://katalogoa.mondragon.edu/janium-bin/janium_login_opac.pl?find&ficha_no=164548 |language=en |location=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |pages=221–242 |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-85610-6_14 |isbn=978-3-030-85610-6}}{{Cite journal |last2= Firmenich|first2= Sergio|last3= Rossi|first3= Gustavo|last4= Wimmer|first4= Manuel|last5= Garrigós|first5= Irene|last6= González-Mora|first6= César|date=2022-01-01 |title=Engineering Web Augmentation software: A development method for enabling end-user maintenance |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0950584921001853 |journal=Information and Software Technology |volume=141 |pages=106735 |doi=10.1016/j.infsof.2021.106735 |issn=0950-5849|last1= Firmenich|first1= Diego|hdl= 10045/119197|hdl-access= free}}
• Community Collaboration: Open-source projects on platforms like GitHub or GitLab host user-created scripts and styles, fostering a shared culture of website personalization.

A web augmentation platform is a framework or service that streamlines the creation, management, and distribution of augmented web experiences. These platforms often provide tools for non-technical users to apply customizations without needing deep programming knowledge.{{Cite book |last1=Urbieta |first1=Mario Matías |url=https://ri.conicet.gov.ar/handle/11336/180351 |title=A Web-based Model-driven Platform for Web Augmentation |last2=Mahl |first2=Franco |last3=Rossi |first3=Gustavo Héctor |last4=Bosetti |first4=Gabriela Alejandra |date=2019 |publisher=Scitepress |isbn=978-989-758-386-5}}{{Cite journal |last1=Goffe |first1=Louis |last2=Chivukula |first2=Shruthi Sai |last3=Bowyer |first3=Alex |last4=Bowen |first4=Simon |last5=Toombs |first5=Austin L |last6=Gray |first6=Colin M |date=2021-07-11 |title=Web Augmentation for Well-Being: the Human-Centred Design of a Takeaway Food Ordering Digital Platform |url=https://academic.oup.com/iwc/article/33/4/335/6609536 |journal=Interacting with Computers |volume=33 |issue=4 |pages=335–352 |doi=10.1093/iwc/iwac015 |issn=1873-7951|doi-access=free }}

• Webfuse: An example of a web augmentation platform that enables developers and end users to create extensions or “overlays” that customize a site’s appearance and functionality in real time. By leveraging browser APIs, Webfuse can inject interactive elements, gather data, or modify site components, all within an accessible, user-friendly framework.

• DOM Manipulation (JavaScript): Augmentation often relies on reading and rewriting the page Document Object Model (DOM).{{Cite web |title=Engineering Web Augmentation Software: A Development Method for Enabling End-User Maintenance |url=https://rua.ua.es/dspace/bitstream/10045/119197/5/Firmenich_etal_2022_InformSoftTech_preprint.pdf |access-date=March 13, 2025 |website=rua.ua.es}}
• API Access: Browser extension APIs (e.g., Chrome’s chrome.* APIs, Firefox WebExtensions) provide controlled entry points for injecting scripts or intercepting traffic.{{Cite journal |title=Model-based Generation of Web Application Programming Interfaces to Access Open Data |url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10251871 |access-date=2025-03-12 |journal=Journal of Web Engineering| date=2020 | doi=10.13052/jwe1540-9589.197810 | last1=González-Mora | first1=Cesar | last2=Garrigós | first2=Irene | last3=Zubcoff | first3=Jose | last4=Mazón | first4=Jose-Norberto | volume=19 | issue=7–8 | pages=1147–1172 | url-access=subscription }}

A walled garden describes an online environment where a platform strictly controls or curates apps, content, and sometimes user modifications. Examples include Apple’s App Store or closed social media ecosystems, which limit or ban certain forms of augmentation for security or brand consistency reasons.{{Cite web |date=2012-06-13 |title=The Big Shift - a business manifesto |url=https://stevesammartino.com/2012/06/13/the-big-shift-a-business-manifesto/ |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=Steve Sammartino |language=en-AU}}{{Cite web |title=Linked data based exploratory search |url=https://theses.hal.science/tel-01130622/file/2014NICE4129.pdf |website=theses.hal.science}}

Different nations implement region-specific policies, creating a fragmented internet—sometimes referred to as the “Splinternet.” China’s Great Firewall or Russia’s data localization laws restrict external content or shape how users can access and modify information. These constraints can stifle or complicate web augmentation efforts that rely on unrestricted data flows.{{Cite web |last=Schulze |first=Elizabeth |date=2019-11-01 |title=Russia just brought in a law to try to disconnect its internet from the rest of the world |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/01/russia-controversial-sovereign-internet-law-goes-into-force.html |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=CNBC |language=en}}

Groups such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) argue that users have a right to control their own computing environment.{{Cite web |date=2025-01-30 |title=Help EFF Fight for Your Digital Rights! {{!}} Electronic Frontier Foundation |url=https://www.eff.org/effector/18/43 |access-date=2025-03-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250130151600/https://www.eff.org/effector/18/43 |archive-date=30 January 2025 }} They see web augmentation as a manifestation of digital self-determination—particularly in places where platform or government controls are strict.

• Circumventing Censorship: Some extensions or proxies help users bypass national firewalls or highlight omitted content.
• Ad-Blocking Disputes: Publishers claim ad-blockers (a form of augmentation) undermine revenue, triggering ongoing debates over user autonomy vs. content provider rights.{{Cite web |title=CrowdMock: an approach for defining and evolving web augmentation requirements |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303914512 |access-date=March 13, 2025}}

Malicious extensions and user scripts can harvest personal data, inject unwanted ads, or install malware. Browser vendors address these risks by reviewing extensions and warning users about unverified add-ons.

• Intellectual Property: Critics argue that altering site content infringes on creators’ rights or changes the intended brand experience.
• Platform ToS: Walled gardens often forbid modifications that conflict with their terms of service, sparking gray-area debates over “jailbreaking” or “rooting” devices to enable augmentation.

• Userscripts
• Browser extensions
• Web accessibility
• Ad blocking
• Digital rights

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Category:Web software