UI/UX: Differentiate Security and License icons in Repository Navigation

[tiagordebarros]

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Description

Currently, when navigating a repository's "About" sidebar and the links above the README, the GitHub UI renders the octicon-law (⚖️) for both the License and Security policy sections.
The Problem

Reusing the balance scale icon for two fundamentally different domains degrades the Developer Experience (DX) by reducing visual scannability. When developers scan the UI for vulnerability reporting guidelines, they are visually anchored to the exact same icon used for licensing, creating unnecessary cognitive friction.
Proposed Solution

Update the taxonomy mapping in the repository navigation components to use a distinct, security-focused icon from the Primer library for the SECURITY.md link.

• Current Behavior: Security policy renders octicon-law.

• Expected Behavior: Security policy should render octicon-shield or octicon-shield-lock.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Visit any repository with both a LICENSE and a SECURITY file.

2. Check the right-hand About sidebar.

3. Observe that "License" and "Security policy" share the exact same law icon: octicon-law.

4. Note the identical behavior in the file navigation links directly above the README.

Impact

Implementing this minimal adjustment significantly improves repository scannability and aligns the UI with standard developer mental models, where a shield intuitively represents security.

[github-actions[bot]]

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[SIMARSINGHRAYAT]

This is excellent UX feedback. Using the same octicon-law icon for both Security and License creates cognitive friction for developers scanning repository metadata quickly.

Recommendation:

• Security: Use octicon-shield or octicon-shield-lock (clearly security-focused)
• License: Keep octicon-law or use octicon-file-badge (more neutral for licensing)

Benefits:

• Reduces visual scannability errors
• Aligns with cognitive load reduction principles
• Improves accessibility for users with color-vision deficiency
• Common pattern in other dev tools (GitHub Actions: different icons for different feature types)

Implementation note:
This would require updating the icon mapping in the repository navigation component and may need theme adjustments to maintain visual balance. The change would benefit new users especially, who might not yet know the distinction between Security and License sections.

[tiagordebarros]

Thank you, @SIMARSINGHRAYAT . Even though it’s just a small detail, this issue has been bothering me for some time. That’s why I decided to submit this product feedback.