Don't use browser semantics in your favicon

Dutch website digid.nl is a government website where Dutch civilians can obtain an online user id for many national and local government organisations, much like a social security number (or Sofi number as it's called in Dutch).

Digid chose a lock for their favicon logo. That's weird! The lock icon is universally (meaning every web browser) used as the icon that indicates you're visiting a website securely over an SSL connection. But I'm not doing that. I'm using regular HTTP. The site is also available as HTTPS, but they're not redirecting, so it's probably OK to use it over HTTP.

I'm not sure why Digid is using the lock icon, since the site is about identity, not about guarding privacy or something like that. So, it seems to me as if Digid is trying to pretend it is a secure website. This icon choice seems to be a GUI Blooper. I would advise against using well-known icons, with well-known semantics as favicon on your site.

BTW, anyone with graphic skills on 16 by 16 pixels is welcome to have a go at an icon of a red slider turtle! Wink wink, nudge nudge.

Plug: I'm looking for a project where I get the opportunity to work with OpenID, the open identity project.