On 09/04/12 11:20, Steve wrote: > On Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:29:02 +0100 > Alan Bell <alanb...@ubuntu.com> 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. >> >> > The problem is not with the journalist but, Ubuntu. The explanations as to > what is going on with these settings can best be described as vague. Until > Alan's explanation I wasn't sure what they're for. I've submitted a bug > #977106 to LP if people would like to add to it. > >
Steve, I somewhat disagree with you. If they call themselves journalists, I would expect them to do a modicum of research first to understand a feature that seems alien to them. A simple email to one of the Ubuntu mailing lists or a questin on IRC would have returned an answer similar to Alan's and a Google search should have found the EFF article: hardly difficult research. Besides, I am very dubious of blog posts that don't show the identity of the author(s) (either that or that info is so well hidden I can't find it). Having said this, if the wording is vague, it should be improved so reporting a bug against it is the right thing to do. On that subject, your bug has been marked as a duplicate of #967056 but because that bug is badly worded, the discussion has come to a dead end on a technicality. So you may want to pitch in on that particular bug and make more constructive suggestions on how to improve explanations. Cheers, Bruno -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
