4 ms·
Telemetry is spyware, I don't care how useful it is. The privacy of users is more important than convenience for developers.
by mcpackieh 3y ago
Telemetry is spyware, I don't care how useful it is. The privacy of users is more important than convenience for developers.
- mrob 3y agoTelemetry that runs without the user explicitly requesting it is spyware. Opt-in telemetry, such as Debian's "popularity contest", is not.
- mcpackieh 3y agoAgreed.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- Xeamek 3y agoDo you consider even automatic crash reports as a spyware? (Asssuming they are properly anonymized)
- qwezxcrty 3y agoI consider that is. Unless as most software used to do, show a popup to politely ask me, can it report the crash to vendor.
- yjftsjthsd-h 3y agoIt should ask and show what it wants to send so the user can give informed consent.
- pjc50 3y agoIt's very hard to anonymize a crash report if it's more than just a backtrace. If it contains any user data - which might be relevant and useful to debugging! - it's not anonymous. Edit: wondering if the correct approach is actually a GDPR one ...
- harry8 3y agoAs per mrob's ammendment. Opt in. Every single time. No exceptions.
- mcpackieh 3y agoAutomatic? Absolutely. "Proper anonymization" is a joke, supposedly anonymized datasets are shown to reveal PII all the time. Informed user consent is paramount, and if informed consent isn't possible because the nature of the report is too technical for the users then the report shouldn't be sent. Even if some rare few developers can properly anonymize data and for instance, scrub core dumps of any user data, them doing so normalizes the practice of opt-out telemetry and most other developers won't be so careful.
- charcircuit 3y agoThe crash reports are only looked at by automated systems and by Microsoft developers who can only temporarily keep them on their machines. Microsoft is interested in improving software and not violating people's privacy.
- pacifika 3y agoMicrosoft developers might be interested in improving software, but Microsoft the business is interested in partnerships and making money off people using Windows.
- throwbadubadu 3y agoWithout consent? Definitely.
- Xelbair 3y agoYes, as they can expose sensitive data. Doubly so if user isn't informed about that.
- johnnyworker 3y agoWhat is the pipeline from a random application crashing, 99% of the time because of misconfiguration or a bug in the application, to Microsoft doing anything that fixes that? How could they even?
- Dead_Lemon 3y agoIts amazing how the old Windows OS's managed to improve with out telemetry and analytics. Now we have that, the OS is in a downward spiral of how much one can harvest from the user and other dark patterns to prevent the user from having control over it. While the desktop experience has worsened.
- charcircuit 3y agoThe goal of spyware is to gain information about who the user is and what they are doing. The goal of telemtry is to gain information about the software and how it is being used. They have 2 very different purposes and goals.
- mcpackieh 3y agoThe goal of spy satellites is to count hardware and look at infrastructure, etc. The goal of hiding a camera in a public restroom is prurient behavior. Two very different purposes and goals. But both are spying. It really doesn't matter what motivates opt-out or mandatory telemetry; it's spying. It's wrong because it violates user privacy, regardless of the motive.