We've had crash reports for about as long as we've had computer programs. The problem is not in the mechanism itself, but in its abuse for (overwhelmingly, non-

We've had crash reports for about as long as we've had computer programs. The problem is not in the mechanism itself, but in its abuse for (overwhelmingly, non-consensual) behavioral profiling or spying. Even when not abused to violate our privacy, the end result is often highly questionable. In place of good design, common sense, and user studies, companies try to extrapolate trends/patterns from data where there are none, resulting in mediocre decisions at best, and self-feeding cycles of devolution. ("Users are clicking this button a lot, let's make it larger" - users are actually clicking the button by accident.)