SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
from the nothing-to-see-here;-move-along dept.
NVidia's latest video card driver for Windows (version 375.70), adds telemetry tracking.
While you may -- and should -- customize the installation of the Nvidia driver so that only the bits that you require are installed, there is no option to disable the Telemetry components from being installed. These do get installed even if you only install the graphics driver itself in the custom installation dialog.
Most users who use PCs with Nvidia video cards probably don't even know that they are tracked by the software. The Nvidia telemetry service runs in the background on user log on, and additionally once a day.
The article goes into detail on how to disable the new Nvidia telemetry, but it also mentions that the telemetry may require disabling again after every video card driver update. No mention of if the telemetry tracking made its way into the Linux binary blob... yet.
Resistance is futile?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 09 2016, @03:54PM
Telemetry is useful. Helps developers know if something is wrong after a change suddenly and it can be anonymized.
In fact, this is often a problem. As a software developer, I have telemetry in my programs. Users can untick the checkbox in options to turn it off.
And very often I have uncaught exceptions that send me telemetry, and I dont have enough information from the Stack Trace... And no idea how to contact the user.
So I have to upgrade the telemetry to add more details for that very same error, output a new version and wait.....
Very often I turn telemetry on for new code. I just need to be warned if a value is found somewhere outside of expected scope.
Code fixes it back to the allowed range, and I get a warning about that part of code.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by KilroySmith on Wednesday November 09 2016, @04:23PM
I have no problem with telemetry. Give me a screen at installation time that tells me you'll be collecting it, with a link to the details that include:
1. Exactly what you're going to collect
2. Exactly when you're going to collect it
3. Exactly what you're going to do with it, and when you're going to delete it
and the choice to enable/disable, and I'll be more than happy to consider your request.
Add telemetry with a notification " in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard.” ", with none of the listed details, and I will do my damnedest to expose you and shut down your telemetry.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 09 2016, @04:28PM
right -- if I am opted in automatically, I am turning it off when I find it or blocking it at the firewall if I determine where its going but can't shut it off.
I will tell everyone the product spies on users if there is no disclosure about what it does and no way to disable the phoning home.
If there is a dialogue or help menu that doesnt rely on an internet connection to read the help, and it explains what the telemetry does and doesnt do, and gives me a clear opportunity to participate, then maybe I will do that on hardware that extra stuff running would not be bad.
Servers I have should not be making any connections by itself outbound, for example. Those things serve. They do not make unsanctioned connections outbound to anything without it being a reply to a request.
Production hardware also does not beta test products, if it can be prevented. Leave that to the people that don't care about telemetry.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 09 2016, @04:29PM
>Telemetry is useful. Helps developers know if something is wrong...
So is the classic 'help line, comment forums, complaint department, etc.' In other words if people have problems they should be able to reach out and file a bug. Silently, anonymously, perpetually, remotely, and unpreventable gathering of ANY information on peoples' computers or settings, (as harmless as it may seem), is VIEWED poorly by the people being reported on.
Of course it's anonymous data, and focused on 'your' product that you develop for... but really... would you be OK with someone sitting in the park, taking notes on every person walking by, whilst looking them in the eye so that they are very aware of them being noted? Sure the note taker may only be counting purple shirts or something benign... but the people being noted do you think they like it?