Low Adoption of `<track>` Element
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yashrajbharti commented
What is the issue with the HTML Standard?
Inaccessibility of Web Videos Due to Low <track> Adoption
Only 0.5% of web videos include a <track> tag (Web Almanac 2024 Report), leaving the vast majority of online video content inaccessible for individuals who rely on captions.
Impact
- Excludes people with hearing impairments, non-native speakers, and others who benefit from captions.
- Undermines accessibility standards on the web, which aim to make content inclusive by default.
Why This Matters
The <track> element was introduced to provide captions, but its low adoption highlights significant barriers for developers, such as:
- Lack of awareness or knowledge about the
<track>element. - Additional effort required to create and manage caption files.
- Limited incentives for publishers to prioritize captions.
Gap in the Standard
The standard does not currently address how browsers or user agents might provide fallback mechanisms for captions when no <track> is present. This gap leaves accessibility largely dependent on content authors, which is not a scalable or equitable solution.