Proprietary software like Windows often includes surveillance code to track user behavior and send this information to vendor servers. Linux has traditionally been immune to such privacy violation. Ubuntu 12.10 now includes code that, by default, collects data on Dash searches. The code integrates Amazon products into search results and can even integrate with Facebook, Twitter, BBC and others as per Ubuntu's Third Party Privacy Policies. This article at the EFF tells how it all works and how to opt out of information sharing, while Richard Stallman himself comments here.
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Member since:2005-06-29
You don't even have to use another distro. Either turn off the lens with instructions provided by Canonical, or install another DE. It's not rocket science, and you'd think that people smart enough to install and use GNU/Linux (even Ubuntu) would be able to figure it out.
In my personal opinion, there are better distros out there and I recommend Manjaro Linux as a good alternative. But, Ubuntu is still great for newbies and it's first to get support from previously Windows/Mac only software vendors.
Member since:2012-11-05
Exactly. Oh no! A company that is giving away their work, with other forks already available, is selling my search info for marketing purposes, unless I decide to unclick an option!!! Oh, but they also legitimize non-free software by doing horrible things like letting users play mp3s!
You know what Stallman? I don't use Ubuntu, but now I jsut might, as this will allow a company to use ad revenue to fund continued open source development. And people wonder why some people call the FSF communist.
Member since:2011-05-14
And thats where we run into a problem. Ubuntu doesn't actually contribute anything whether it be code or one red cent to the people that actually do the work. Ubuntu merely takes said work, hacks and cracks it to their own purpose, then includes it on top of the base which is the work of another distro and then ships it. There was a story, and flame war, a while back over how little Ubuntu/Canonical actually does that benefits the community. If you really want to help the community out, donate funds upstream to the gnome or kde project, or to the linux foundation, or GNU, or any other project of your choice. But to donate to Ubuntu whether it be via their spyware or actual donations will only land in Canonicals/shuttleworths pocket.
Edited 2013-01-03 18:29 UTC
Member since:2011-01-28
andrewclunn,
"You know what Stallman? I don't use Ubuntu, but now I jsut might, as this will allow a company to use ad revenue to fund continued open source development. And people wonder why some people call the FSF communist."
The intended insult pre-supposes that communism is inherently bad, but think about it. Lots of open source users really do have communist values.
Member since:2006-12-05
Go ahead and do a local search for a file on your hard drive containing... oh, I dunno... your social security number or some other personal and confidential information while you're at it. Hey, what can it hurt? It's not like highly personal information can ever be tracked directly back to you, and after all--you're helping Canonical to get richer and greedier. Eventually they'll start doing more of this stuff, but hey, it's all good. It's all for a good cause.
Edited 2013-01-04 08:28 UTC
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Member since:
2006-05-18
One word ... paranoia. If this helps Ubuntu make some money, I'm all for it. The nerve of some people expecting other people to work for free for them. Just STFU and use whatever other distro you like.