README_CONTENT_INTEGRITY.md

The City of New York recommends that users wishing to store City repository content on their local computers adhere to the following guidelines to insure the integrity of transferred information:

1. Never disable, circumvent or ignore SSL/TLS warnings or errors issued by the browser or local Git installation preventing the successful transfer of data from GitHub to the client machine. This includes the overriding of untrusted or self-signed certificates, configuration of Git to skip SSL verification, etc.

2. If the local Git installation fails to completely clone, fetch/pull, etc. from a GitHub (or any other) repository, discard any partially transferred files. This is most easily accomplished by creating a new local branch solely for the purpose of running the Git remote-based command and deleting it permanently if the command fails.

3. Developers wishing to collaborate or fork City GitHub repositories should insure their local Git installation is up-to-date and properly configured. See https://help.github.com/articles/set-up-git/ for details.

4. Members of the public downloading compressed repository content from the GitHub site should take the same security precautions as taken when accessing file downloads from any trusted Internet web site (e.g., ensure up-to-date and enabled antivirus software, etc.)