On Mon, 2012-04-09 at 10:29 +0100, Alan Bell wrote: > On 09/04/12 09:24, Bill Baker wrote: > > This has appeared on Linux Today site: > > > > "Should you be worried about Ubuntu Desktop's privacy settings?" > > "LinuxBSDos: I hope that I am wrong, but your new Ubuntu system could be > > used to spy on you." > > > > http://www.linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2012-04-09-002-41-SC-UB > > > > Should someone [in a position to do be authoritative on the reply] > > actually respond or reply to the article I wonder?
> That whole article appears to be a journalist saying "I have no idea > what this stuff is". This is a bit sad as the journalist in question > could have actually done some finding out, and then explained to the > readership what it was rather than publishing a content free article. > > Ubuntu has something in it called zeitgeist. This tracks lots of stuff > you do with the objective of making the computer better able to > anticipate what you are going to do next and be more helpful about it. > Quite a lot of applications in the file menu show recently used files. > This is tracking you, but most rational people don't see it that way. > The privacy control now allows you to control this kind of thing - and > opt out. You should not be worried that there are privacy controls > available. You should be worried about operating systems and devices > that *don't* have privacy controls built in. > In terms of stuff submitted to Canonical, this is crash traces that get > automatically added to bugs (Windows has a submit to Microsoft button > when things crash - but in that case it vanishes inside Redmond never to > be seen again rather than on a public bug report you can view yourself) > > Alan > > -- THIS [the above from Alan] is *exactly* the reply the "informationally disadvantaged" article &/or author I had in mind. -- Regards, Bill B. [SuperEngineer] ------------------------------ -Registered Linux User 523667- -Registered Ubuntu User 32366- -----Free as in Freedom------ -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
