W3C - News

• First Public Working Draft: Selectors Level 5

  The CSS Working Group published today a First Public Working Draft of Selectors Level 5. Selectors are patterns that match against elements in a tree, and as such form one of several technologies that can be used to select nodes in a document. Selectors have been optimized for use with HTML and XML, and are designed to be usable in performance-critical code. They are a core component of CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), which uses Selectors to bind style properties to elements in the document. Selectors Level 5 describes the selectors that already exist in Selectors Level 4, and further introduces new selectors for CSS and other languages that may need them.

• Second W3C Team appointment to the TAG

  Following the W3C Technical Architecture Group (TAG)'s election results, the W3C Team has chosen and the Advisory Board and Technical Architecture Group have ratified the following appointment to the TAG for the 2026-2028 term:Heather Flanagan, Spherical Cow ConsultingPer W3C Process Document regarding TAG appointments, this procedure follows a public call for nominations which together with nominations from the W3C Team and Members surfaced a list of several traditional and non-traditional candidates. Several were disqualified because they are employed by Member organizations already on the TAG (per Process rules). The Team considered what each on the list would bring to the TAG.The Team has now made the two appointments for this term.About the W3C TAGThe TAG was created in 2001 as a special W3C working group, chartered to steward the web architecture. To do so, it fulfills 3 missions:to document and build consensus around principles of web architecture and to interpret and clarify these principles when necessary;to resolve issues involving general web architecture brought to the TAG;to help coordinate cross-technology architecture developments inside and outside W3C.The TAG is part of the Horizontal Review Process and reviews a large number of specifications done at W3C and outside, even during their early stage.The TAG and the W3C Advisory Board are also part of the W3C Council to help resolve objections on specifications.

• Group Note Draft: Considerations for Reviewing Differential Privacy Systems (for Non-Differential Privacy Experts)

  The Privacy Working Group has published the first draft of a Group Note titled Considerations for Reviewing Differential Privacy Systems (for Non-Differential Privacy Experts). The purpose of this document is to provide a high level understanding of the trade-offs that are required when designing and deploying differentially private systems (e.g., privacy, utility, number of trusted parties). Its goal is to enable a less-expert reviewer in their analysis of differentially private systems, and to suggest issues and dimensions to consider when reviewing a system.

• W3C Team appointment to the TAG

  Following the W3C Technical Architecture Group (TAG)'s election results, the W3C Team has chosen and the Advisory Board and Technical Architecture Group have ratified the following appointment to the TAG for the 2026-2028 term:Brian Kardell, IgaliaPer W3C Process Document regarding TAG appointments, this procedure follows a public call for nominations which together with nominations from the W3C Team and Members surfaced a list of several traditional and non-traditional candidates. Several were disqualified because they are employed by Member organizations already on the TAG (per Process rules). The Team considered what each on the list would bring to the TAG.The Team has two appointments to make for this term. Considering the time constraints, the upcoming TAG Face to Face meeting and generally in order to avoid making the TAG wait unnecessarily the Team appointment is split and the Team is continuing to work on the second Team appointment to the TAG.About the W3C TAGThe TAG was created in 2001 as a special W3C working group, chartered to steward the web architecture. To do so, it fulfills 3 missions:to document and build consensus around principles of web architecture and to interpret and clarify these principles when necessary;to resolve issues involving general web architecture brought to the TAG;to help coordinate cross-technology architecture developments inside and outside W3C.The TAG is part of the Horizontal Review Process and reviews a large number of specifications done at W3C and outside, even during their early stage.The TAG and the W3C Advisory Board are also part of the W3C Council to help resolve objections on specifications.

• Accessibility Conformance Testing (ACT) Rules Format 1.1 is now a W3C Recommendation

  The Accessibility Guidelines Working Group published Accessibility Conformance Testing (ACT) Rules Format 1.1 as a W3C Recommendation. ACT Rules Format defines a format for writing accessibility test rules. The test rules can be used for developing automated testing tools and manual testing methodologies. This document provides a common format that allows anyone involved in accessibility testing to document and share their testing procedures in a robust and understandable manner. This enables transparency and harmonization of testing methods, including methods implemented by accessibility test tools. For an introduction to ACT Rules, see Accessibility Conformance Testing (ACT) Overview.

• Group Note Drafts: Cognitive Accessibility Research Modules

  The Accessible Platform Architectures Working Group has published the first draft of the Group Note titled Cognitive Accessibility Research Modules. This set of modules looks at different Web technologies and provides a detailed analysis of accessibility issues for people with disabilities that may require cognitive accessibility supports, user needs, areas for further research and directions for solutions. This is an overview document that introduces:Cognitive Accessibility Research Modules - Voice Systems and Conversational InterfacesCognitive Accessibility Research Modules - Technology Assisted Indoor Navigation / WayfindingCognitive Accessibility Research Modules - Online Safety and Wellbeing (Algorithms and Data)Cognitive Accessibility Research Modules - Supported Decision-Making OnlineInformation on related work is in Cognitive Accessibility at W3C.

• Group Note Draft: W3C Accessibility Guidelines Evaluation Methodology (WCAG-EM) 2.0

  The Accessibility Guidelines Working Group has published the first draft of a Group Note titled W3C Accessibility Guidelines Evaluation Methodology (WCAG-EM) 2.0. WCAG-EM describes a methodology with a step-by-step process to evaluate how well digital products conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2. It provides technology-agnostic guidance to define the evaluation scope, explore the target product, select a representative sample set from products, evaluate the selected sample set, and report the evaluation findings. This procedure is suitable for use in different evaluation contexts, including self-assessment and third-party evaluation.For an introduction to WCAG-EM, see WCAG-EM Overview.

• Group Note Draft: Cryptography usage in Web Standards

  The Security Interest Group has published the first draft of a Group Note titled Cryptography usage in Web Standards. This document serves as a clear, practical, and standards-compliant guide for recognized cryptographic algorithms and their appropriate applications in various scenarios. It provides recommendations on the selection and implementation of specific algorithms, parameter configurations, and common mistakes to avoid, aiming to foster a uniform, standards-driven, and secure application of cryptography in web technologies. The intended audience includes developers of web specifications and application creators, with the objective of encouraging interoperable, maintainable, and verifiable cryptographic practices in web standards and implementations.

• Group Note Draft: Text-to-Speech Rendering of Electronic Documents Containing Ruby: User Requirements

  The Internationalization Working Group has published the first draft of a Group Note titled Text-to-Speech Rendering of Electronic Documents Containing Ruby: User Requirements. This document describes user requirements related to text-to-speech rendering of electronic documents containing ruby annotations. It examines the roles and practices of ruby in different writing systems and discusses the implications of various reading strategies for text-to-speech, without prescribing algorithms or implementation-specific behavior.

• Agenda available for W3C Workshop on Smart Voice Agents

  The W3C Workshop on Smart Voice Agents will take place on 25-27 February 2026, virtually on Zoom. The workshop agenda is now available.The goals of this workshop are: To identify stakeholders of Voice Agents standardization to drive the development of web standards aligned with the real needs of Voice AgentsTo identify and discuss the pain points, technological gaps, and clarify potential impacts on web standardsAnd the possible topic areas for the workshop may include: Clarification of use-cases for smart voice agents and their requirements (including voice interaction with smart devices, browsers, the Web of Things)User & developer needs: accessibility/usability, internationalization, input-to-output coordination, modality integration (voice, typing, handwriting)Horizontal platform considerations: resource discovery, trust/privacy/security, business models, and implications for web standardsIf you have experience and/or expertise in the topic areas above, please apply to the workshop. The deadline to register as workshop participant is 19 February 2026. To help us prepare and run the event effectively, please email a brief proposal when registering.This workshop will be a fully virtual event with pre-recorded talks, online discussions, and interactive sessions. With the consent of the speakers, recordings and slides of the talks will be made available after the workshop. Attendance is free for all invited participants and is open to the public, whether or not W3C members. Please contact the Program Committee if you have any questions.