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> A company “bought” Audacity and added spyware. The same company also did it to MuseScore. Doesn’t this support FOSS? Because we can openly see and remove the
by armchairhacker 5y ago
> A company “bought” Audacity and added spyware. The same company also did it to MuseScore.
Doesn’t this support FOSS? Because we can openly see and remove the spyware. Or if the company ever makes the product closed-source, we have past versions. We can even make our own open-source fork and compete with them.
- Karrot_Kream 5y agoNobody added spyware to Audacity, the fact that this meme keeps circulating is IMO evidence of how broken trust is on the net right now. The new owners of Audacity wanted to add opt-in analytics to help understand what their users were doing, to help prioritize outstanding tasks. The authors originally put in Google Analytics, which created a moral panic and led to hyperbolic cries of inserting spyware. They pivoted to a different opt-in analytics provider later, but the hyperbolic moral panic line continues to be echoed. And yes, this is FOSS working as intended. Closed source software wouldn't offer you the same visibility.
- teddyh 5y agoWe now have statements from two separate state EU organizations that Google Analytics is, in fact, spyware.
- Karrot_Kream 5y agoSo how are statements by a few parties located in Europe relevant when a) this is opt-in behavior that doesn't hide the analytics provider and b) they don't use Google Analytics anymore? Moreover why is everyone saying "spyware" and not saying "Google Analytics" by name, if not to make a hyperbolic emotional argument regarding privacy? It's clickbait hyperbole meant to outrage the reader; call a spade a spade.