[Commotion-discuss] Website feedback from hackday on "warning" sign

Wed Jun 12 19:09:32 UTC 2013

Commotion has been publicly advertised as a security and circumvention
tool. A warning that can be disregarded, or examines Commotions security
in terms of liability, or from the perspective of it simply as router
firmware disregards the social realities surrounding the tool.

The Commotion warning label is an intervention. It uses global standards
for warning construction that were researched to cause exactly the
reaction we are seeing. This includes placement, size, color, and
language. Because it follows global standards users understand that it
is important and read the contents.

I would argue that it does in fact help a user navigate the risks since
each warning is directly linked to an overview of the risk and tools
that the user can use instead, or on top of commotion, in order to
address risks that they are concerned about.

https://commotionwireless.net/understanding-commotions-warning-label#internet

Wireless risks and security are very rarely understood, let alone mesh
security and risks. With our placement as "circumvention technology" in
the public we have a responsibility to educate any possible user on the
current state of the Commotion platform for circumvention and security.

Camouflaging the warning label below the fold, or in a color scheme that
is not immediately understood as a warning is in my opinion dishonest.
Until public opinion matches the current capabilities and safe use cases
of the Commotion platform I think that this intervention is the only
morally correct option. Safety should always trump style and comfort.

s2e

On 06/12/2013 02:38 PM, Ben West wrote:
> Along these lines of public perception, is Commotion perhaps the only
> embedded router firmware out there (compared to DD-WRT, Freifunk, and other
> OpenWRT derivatives) that includes such warning language on its download
> page?
> 
> If so, and if those other firmware distros are likewise capable of doing
> 90% to 100% of what Commotion does anyway (albeit with more user
> configuration effort needed), then I also agree with Ryan.  The warning is
> not serving its intended purpose, and intimidating would-be users.
> 
> Boilerplate about "no warranty given or implied / no liability for damage"
> should likely be adequate.
> 
> On Wed, Jun 12, 2013 at 1:32 PM, Ryan Gerety
> <gerety at opentechinstitute.org>wrote:
> 
>> I agree.  I would advocate for removing it--it looks like an error--and
>> also doesnt really help the user navigate the risks.  I agree with Georgia
>> that Commotion's often inaccurate press requires us to be proactive around
>> what it cant do (also most software should), but in the end the security is
>> very similar to any router firmware.  In most browers the warning takes up
>> most the page, so you cant even see the downloads.  I think a link or
>> button that says "Learn more about Security with Commotion" would be
>> sufficient, and then it can say, "as with most home wireless systems, xxx."
>>
>>
>> On Jun 12, 2013, at 1:29 PM, Dan Staples wrote:
>>
>> @Georgia: I think trying some alternative displays of the warning label on
>> the download page is definitely worth trying. However, I would just as that
>> you clone the page and send us links to that instead of modifying the
>> actual download page until we've decided on any changes.
>>
>> In general, I think it's better to make users feel empowered than scared.
>> It's already hard enough getting folks to adopt this technology. If someone
>> is concerned about their security, they will likely take note of any
>> warning labels they see, even if it isn't quite the center of attention of
>> the page. I think it's worth considering alterations to the page to make
>> the warning label lower down and/or somewhat smaller.
>>
>> On 06/12/2013 11:28 AM, Andrew Reynolds wrote:
>>
>> I'm moving this discussion to the commotion-discuss list.
>>
>> For those just joining in, the issue in question is how to present usage
>> warnings related to Commotion's current capabilities[1] in a way that
>> does not imply that the user has misconfigured the software.
>>
>> On one hand, we need to be very clear about Commotion's current
>> capabilities, especially given the press around the project. On the
>> other hand, we don't want to give the impression that a correct
>> installation has failed somehow.
>>
>> 1. Seehttps://commotionwireless.net/blog/warning-label-development-part-1 andhttps://commotionwireless.net/blog/warning-label-development-part-2
>>
>> -andrew
>>
>> On 06/12/2013 11:23 AM, Preston Rhea wrote:
>>
>>  I maintain that when the first thing someone sees upon clicking a link
>> and landing is a warning - someone who isn't a l33t hacker - they will
>> think they have come to some page in error, and that creates the wrong
>> kind of caution. It can cause confusion and mistrust in one's ability
>> to follow the documentation, instead of invite caution about the
>> decision you're making to use this sofware.
>>
>> On Wed, Jun 12, 2013 at 11:11 AM, Georgia Bullen<georgia at opentechinstitute.org> <georgia at opentechinstitute.org> wrote:
>>
>>  I think there's a happy medium, which is maybe just a color change to the
>> warning label? Or something like that? Pick one of the colors from the color
>> palette?
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Jun 12, 2013 at 10:53 AM, Seamus Tuohy <s2e at opentechinstitute.org> <s2e at opentechinstitute.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>>  That means it works! Seriously though, this is the intended effect. A
>> user should feel uneasy and read the warning when they are going to
>> download Commotion. Users in non-risky scenarios feeling uncomfortable
>> is a small price to pay for those at risk being confronted with the
>> limits of this tool.
>>
>> s2e
>>
>>
>> On 06/11/2013 04:39 PM, Preston Rhea wrote:
>>
>>  Some of the feedback I got when walking folks through installation had
>> to do with the "WARNING" sign on the download site:https://commotionwireless.net/download
>>
>>   A couple of folks said that when the first thing they see after
>> clicking according to the instructions
>>
>> (https://code.commotionwireless.net/projects/commotion/wiki/Stock_Ubiquiti_Install_Guide)
>> is a warning sign, they feel like they've done something wrong. When
>> we discussed the purpose of the warning label, they agree that it
>> should exist, but that it should be moved down below the initial fold
>> of the page - but before the download links - so that it still serves
>> its purpose without giving the user a feeling of having committed an
>> error, or having gone somewhere dangerous.
>>
>> --
>> Preston Rhea
>> Program Associate, Open Technology Institute
>> New America Foundation+1-202-570-9770
>> Twitter: @prestonrhea
>>
>>
>>   --
>> Georgia Bullen
>> Field Operations Technologist, Open Technology Institute
>> New America Foundation
>>
>>
>>
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>>
>>
>> --
>> Dan Staples
>>
>> Open Technology Institutehttps://commotionwireless.net
>>
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