KDE's Telemetry: The Tip Of The Iceberg?:
Recently, there was a debate on the PCLinuxOS forum about KDE Plasma's implementation of telemetry through KUserFeedback. While in PCLinuxOS, we can remove it without any collateral effects to the system, while other users reported that doing the same in other distros (like Debian 11) results in the complete removal of KDE Plasma! Why force such an implementation, if, as KDE's developers say, it is just an innocuous, privacy-respecting measure?
Coincidence or not, in the past years many popular Linux distributions started rolling out optional telemetry. Then it was the time of computer programs: news broke out in May regarding Audacity, a popular audio editing app, which announced it was starting the use of telemetry. The move was finally pushed back after users revolted against it.
While many point out that the data collection is by opt-in and entirely anonymous, others have found that, even if you don't activate telemetry, data is still collected, using computer resources, registering "apps and boot, number of times used and duration in /home/user/telemetry folder." As such, they argue that, because of the way Linux permissions work, other programs could have access to these log files. KUserFeedback's FAQs page confirms this:
"KUserFeedback is designed to be compliant with KDE Telemetry Policy, which forbids the usage of unique identification. If you are using KUserFeedback outside of the scope of that policy, it's of course possible to add a custom data source generating and transmitting a unique id."
Do any Soylentils have opinions about this, or experiences with it?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 01 2021, @08:59PM (1 child)
DONE PROPERLY:
1. Identify is the system online.
2. Identify isn't the system in the pay-per-kilobyte connection.
3. Do it using crystal ball, without making any connection. Having the ball out of cupboard, determine won't the link be used for something important in next quarter.
4. Ready. Perform an onion connection disguised as Skype-like or some online game traffic.
5. Verify is connection OK, send the data plus random amount of padding to defeat bandwidth analysis.
Anyone seen such method? For me it always looks like this:
1. Without thinking that user may pay for it, connect to the server leaving the IP in the server and allowing everyone in the block see which software is used and in which version.
2. If there is an opportunity, just hand the data to whoever pays and modify ToS (see Protonmail).
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday October 04 2021, @02:01PM
All ISPs charge $$, I don't know of an ISP that charges by the kilobyte anymore. Even the Internet Cafe types charge by the minute or whatever.
You are literally complaining about kiloboytes of data being sent over your connection. I guarantee you Facebook is using boatloads more data. Even your average internet enabled game is likely to be sending much more information.
You are complaining about something that isn't worth complaining about. At least in this instance. Games that require 50gb downloads, with 5gb+ patches, I can get behind, because that's stupid. Sure, one can manage to get the 50gb downloaded on a slow connection, but when you as a developer release huge updates, frequently. You cut out the people on slower connections. Especially, if you like to play more than one game like that.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"