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How about a warning that says "The battery in this cell phone contains an amount of theomacrotasium known to cause cancer if ingested." That's a completely act
by freehunter 9y ago
How about a warning that says "The battery in this cell phone contains an amount of theomacrotasium known to cause cancer if ingested."
That's a completely actionable warning. Don't eat the contents of the battery of your cell phone.
Or how about "This carpet contains formeldahyde, which is known to cause birth defects in pregnant women. Limit exposure to this carpet for a few days after installation."
That's a good warning. That tells me what I need to know, what the risks are, and how to mitigate it.
- seanmcdirmid 9y agoHey, if it's just one thing, great! Now, how do you do that for a hundred things? Again, warnings work great for very small numbers of N. We have to find a middle ground between "has chemicals that may cause cancer" and "a hundred specific chemicals in X quantities that may cause cancer." Abstraction is very necessary as a pragmatic solution, even if full disclosure makes sense as an ideal. Heck, most places are just doing CYA, they have no idea what specific lists of chemicals their contractors use. For the IoT case, no one has any idea how their devices can be exploited, and merely admit the possibility of exploitation. But that is another issue.
- kaybe 9y agoWell, information on how to migitate the cancer risk is already a step forward. If it is only harmful if ingested you know not to give it to your toddler. If it gives off toxic fumes while burning, well, stay away if you made a fire mistake. etc. The warning itself is pretty useless as it is.