Yesterday I had occasion to visit a Government of Canada’s Human Resources Development Canada Website to help a relative who is a laid-off seasonal worker fill out an online form for unemployment insurance benefits.
I was using Safari at the time, and was greeted by this message:
“To ensure that your electronic transactions with us are secure and protected, we verify your browser for the required 128-bit Encryption level.
“Your browser does not meet minimum encryption requirements.”
Hmmm. I thought Safari was 128-bit encrypted. It works fine on my bank’s online banking site.
Anyway, the HRDC blurb went on to say:
“This on-line application is most compatible with Macintosh computers running Netscape 6.2.2 or higher at the present time.
Please use the following browser (as a minimum) to complete this application form:
Macintosh (Mac OS X), Internet Explorer 5.2.2,, JavaScript Enabled, 128-bit Encryption ..
Please use one of the following browsers (as a minimum) to complete this application form:
If you continue to experience difficulties....”
Well, at least they recognize and support the Mac. Download links are provided for the above noted browsers.
I decided to try Mozilla FireBird, and was informed that:
“Your browser meets the basic security standard.”
FireBird worked fine for filling out the form. However, it would be nice if Apple could get support for Safari there too.
It later occurred to me that I hadn’t tried specifying Netscape or IE as “User Agent” in the Debug Menu I have installed in Safari, but when I went back to check that out, this notice came up:
“Important notice. Due to technical difficulties, our internet application for Unemployment benefits is not available. We expect to have the problem resolved soon. It is not necessary to go to an office to file a claim. Instead, please wait and try the internet site tomorrow. We regret any inconvenience.”
That was last evening. It’s still down as of noon today. Bet they use Microsoft software.... :-b
