[LINK] FEMA disaster website IE-only

[Roger Clarke]

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050906-5278.html

FEMA disaster website IE-only
9/6/2005 2:37:53 PM, by Ken "Caesar" Fisher

As relief workers scramble to provide comfort and succor to the
thousands and thousands of people dispossessed by hurricane Katrina,
tech relief efforts are hitting snags. Equipment shortages, problems
accessing the Internet, and the time it takes to set up computers for
refugees to use are all getting in the way of getting people help, but
that's not too surprising. This is, after all, a disaster.

What is surprising, however, is the fact that the Federal Emergency
Management Agency's (FEMA) online registration site for disaster help is
Internet Explorer-only. While anyone can browse the site, users of
non-IE browsers will find this message waiting for them when they
attempt to register.

In order to use this site, you must have JavaScript Enabled and Internet
Explorer version 6.
Download it from Microsoft or call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) to register.

Something so minor has become a considerable problem for relief workers,
who are attempting to setup as many kiosks as possible for refugees.
Workers on the ground have told Ars Technica that they would prefer to
avoid setting up Windows XP workstations because they take longer to
setup, and even longer to properly patch and configure for use. You may
recall that in an experiment performed last year, a Windows XP SP1 box
put on the Internet was compromised in 4 minutes flat. While Service
Pack 2 and recent updates undoubtedly improve XP's defenses, techs are
wary of using the OS in this situation.

The issue isn't only security. XP hardware requirements, while not
impressive by today's standards, rule out using some donated hardware as
well. Furthermore, legitimate copies of Windows also cost money, and
relief workers are trying to stretch their dollars as far as they can
go. Ideally, many would rather create LiveCDs with Linux distributions
that are ready to boot and roll, as this would provide the quickest and
most secure configuration in a pinch. However, with so many people
wanting to register on FEMA's site, this becomes a problem.

The registration makes use of JavaScript, but there's no functionality
being provided that could not have been provided in a more
browser-friendly manner. User agent proofing-a technique by which a
browser reports that it's another browser type-makes the site somewhat
more usable, although we encountered errors using Opera 8.0 and the MSIE
6.0 user agent. It certainly isn't an ideal workaround.

Mike Quealy, a FEMA spokesperson, explained to me that they are aware of
the issue, and are currently working on a application that supports all
of the most popular browsers. Quealy said that the application in
question was originally an in-house tool, meant to be used by call
center people. Internet Explorer was the official in-house browser, so
the application was coded with IE in mind.

FEMA apparently decided to make the application public with the advent
of last year's Florida hurricanes, and Quealy noted that they had hoped
to test a universally supported application just before Katrina hit.

As you may know, Hannibal is in Louisiana right now assisting with
relief efforts, and we'll continue to bring updates as we get them.

-- 
Roger Clarke                  http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/

Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
                    Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916
mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au                http://www.xamax.com.au/

Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng  Australian National University
Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program      University of Hong Kong
Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre      Uni of NSW