Edit comment LC-2029 for Mobile Web Best Practices Working Group

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Comment LC-2029

Comment Shortname:

Commenter: casays <casays@yahoo.com>

Message-id:

Section of the document concerned:

[Free text description]Document as a wholeContent Transformation Guidelines 1.0 Abstract Status of this Document Table of Contents Appendices 1 Introduction (Non-Normative) 1.1 Purpose 1.2 Audience 1.3 Scope 1.4 Summary of Requirements 2 Terminology (Normative) 2.1 Types of Proxy "A transparent proxy is a proxy that does not modify the req... A non-transparent proxy is a proxy that modifies the request... 2.2 Types of Transformation Restructuring content is a process whereby the original layo... Recoding content is a process whereby the layout of the cont... Optimizing content includes removing redundant white space,... 3 Conformance (Normative) 3.1 Classes of Product 3.2 Normative and Informative Parts 3.3 Normative Language for Conformance Requirements 3.4 Content Deployment Conformance 3.5 Transformation Deployment Conformance 4 Behavior of Components (Normative) 4.1 Proxy Forwarding of Request 4.1.1 Applicable HTTP Methods 4.1.2 no-transform directive in Request 4.1.3 Treatment of Requesters that are not Web browsers 4.1.4 Serving Cached Responses 4.1.5 Alteration of HTTP Header Values In this section, the concept of "Web site" is used (rather t... 4.1.5.1 Content Tasting 4.1.5.2 Avoiding "Request Unacceptable" Responses 4.1.5.3 User Selection of Restructured Experience 4.1.5.4 Sequence of Requests 4.1.5.5 Original Headers 4.1.6 Additional HTTP Headers 4.1.6.1 Proxy Treatment of Via Header 4.2 Server Response to Proxy 4.2.1 Use of HTTP 406 Status 4.2.2 Server Origination of Cache-Control: no-transform Including a Cache-Control: no-transform directive can disrup... 4.2.3 Varying Representations 4.2.3.1 Use of Vary HTTP Header 4.2.3.2 Indication of Intended Presentation Media Type of Representation 4.3 Proxy Forwarding of Response to User Agent 4.3.1 Receipt of Cache-Control: no-transform 4.3.2 Receipt of Warning: 214 Transformation Applied 4.3.3 Server Rejection of HTTP Request 4.3.4 Receipt of Vary HTTP Header 4.3.5 Link to "handheld" Representation 4.3.6 Proxy Decision to Transform 4.3.6.1 Alteration of Response 4.3.6.2 HTTPS Link Re-writing 5 Testing (Normative) A References B Example Transformation Interactions (Non-Normative) B.1 Basic Content Tasting by Proxy B.2 Optimization based on Previous Server Interaction B.3 Optimization based on Previous Server Interaction, Server has Changed its Operation B.4 Server Response Indicating that this Representation is Intended for the Target Device B.5 Server Response Indicating that another Representation is Intended for the Target Device C Applicability to Transforming Solutions which are Out of Scope (Non-Normative) D Scope for Future Work (Non-Normative) D.1 POWDER D.2 link HTTP Header D.3 Sources of Device Information D.4 Inter Proxy Communication D.5 Amendment to and Refinement of HTTP E Administrative Arrangements (Non-Normative) F Acknowledgments (Non-Normative)
or

Refinement of the section concerned:

Status:

open proposal pending resolved_yes resolved_no resolved_partial other assigned to Nobody

Type: substantive editorial typo question general comment undefined

Resolution status:

Response drafted Resolution implemented Reply sent to commenter

Response status:

No response from Commenter yet Commenter approved disposition Commenter objected to disposition
Commenter's response (URI):

Comment:

d) Informing the user that there are security implications in
the way he chooses to access the server, and providing him with
an alternative link to it risks causing the following reactions:
i. WWW-beginners may simply not bother reading the advice and
always take the default action, which according to the
guidelines seems to correspond to taking the less safe,
point-to-point HTTPS connection.
ii. Somewhat WWW-knowledgeable users, aware of the existence of
Trojan horses and phishing, may reel at the invitation to try
alternative links. If they are curious and examine the URI of
the current page, they may further suspect foul play, as the
rewritten URI may not match the one they accessed originally.
iii. Expert WWW-users will understand the implications of the
proxy set-up, but may be wary at using its services for HTTPS
links -- after all, what is the guarantee that the proxy will
not misuse or unintentionally disclose private information in
a point-to-point connection? And if there is a proxy acting as
middle-man, what is the guarantee that the end-to-end HTTPS
link is actually an end-to-end one and the proxy is not just
performing some other tricky manipulations?

Overall, fiddling with HTTPS connections risks reducing, rather
than increasing, the willingness of end-users to access the
mobile Web. A relevant point is that these end-users may
actually assign the fault with the untrustworthy connections
to the content or application provider, rather than to the
operator of the proxy.

Related issues: (space separated ids)

WG Notes: [Needs to be checked after editorial re-writing] See: http://www.w3.org/2008/10/07-bpwg-minutes.html#item02 Final resolution: - Accept the thrust of Tom's submission on HTTPS, and editor to make sure that the wording is beefed up (e.g. by saying that if a proxy rewrites HTTPS ... rather than saying a proxy MAY) to make it clear that if you _must_ do it the user MUST know and MUST have a choice

Resolution: We have added text to this section that goes some way to addressing your concern

(Please make sure the resolution is adapted for public consumption)