What are some potential pitfalls of using outdated PHP functions like $HTTP_GET_VARS instead of $_GET?

Using outdated PHP functions like $HTTP_GET_VARS can pose security risks as they are deprecated and no longer supported in newer PHP versions. It is recommended to use the superglobal $_GET instead, as it is more secure and reliable.

// Using $_GET superglobal instead of $HTTP_GET_VARS
$value = isset($_GET['key']) ? $_GET['key'] : '';