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Manjaro Linux prepares to enable telemetry by default

forum.manjaro.org

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Re: Manjaro Linux prepares to enable telemetry by default

#31

Post by _heimdall »

codedokode wrote: post #24

This is so user-hostile. I do not want a spyware in an OS. All telemetry should be opt-in and voluntary. Also, what would be the use of the telemetry? Find a reason to close a bug report with WONTFIX?

I agree it should always be opt-in, but there are plenty of reasons this data could help them make Majaro better.

Their install process likely gives them data already on things like user hardware, Intel vs AMD for example. Telemetry could help find performance issues though, like if one processor type is always slow to boot or if AMD graphics cards have frame rate issues with certain tasks.

Re: Manjaro Linux prepares to enable telemetry by default

#32

Post by devit »

jeroenhd wrote: post #10
devit wrote: post #5

They and can should count users only by updates. Make a package that is required and only changed upon each release (containing for instance /etc/os-release) and count how many distinct IP addresses download it.

They don't host all of the mirrors themselves so they'd be missing out on most of the data that way.

They can host all the default mirrors themselves, either by serving the actual data (with a CDN) or by redirecting requests to a 3rd party mirror by GeoIP.

Re: Manjaro Linux prepares to enable telemetry by default

#33

Post by lars_francke »

Retr0id wrote: post #18

The less I know about users of the software I write, the better. > we need at least some data about how Manjaro is being used by so many people around the world in order to show that the project has a future and also to plan for that future. Charitably, this implies they want to plan around things like infrastructure scaling. Why can't they just look at present demands on their infrastructure? (i.e. why bother with a…

This can also be useful if you are looking for funding e.g. grants etc. to show how relevant your project is.

Just to add a different interepretation: To me this does not imply planning on infrastructure at all.

Re: Manjaro Linux prepares to enable telemetry by default

#34

Post by zootboy »

JonChesterfield wrote: post #9

> Until now what has been done, was counting systems via ping.manjaro.org 11. These pings are sent from Manjaro systems via the NetworkManager. I really hope that's not the default out of the box behaviour.

To be fair, Arch's base NetworkManager package does the same thing:

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NetworkManager#Checking_con...

Though Arch has a decidedly more privacy-friendly stance on their ping endpoint: no logging at all.

Re: Manjaro Linux prepares to enable telemetry by default

#35

Post by jeroenhd »

hx8 wrote: post #23
Alcatros552 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Asking for it and not enable it by default is the only way to abide by European and South American Data Protection laws..

Manjaro doesn't have region specific isos, so it sounds like this will end up being the global policy. However international compliance isn't something every developer is aware of so it may take time before the project is releases a compliant version.

IMO asking for consent (or not collecting data at all) is always the right move, regardless of legal obligations. Might as well just ask everyone for consent.

Re: Manjaro Linux prepares to enable telemetry by default

#36

Post by ndsipa_pomu »

throwup238 wrote: post #15
Alcatros552 wrote: post #12

Its simply illegal in many countries to make an opt-out. For such data comming from your OS you need an OPT-IN!

I’m curious, how does that apply to open source projects? Who would they go after for redress in large distributed communities like Manjaro?

I'd guess that they'd target the system that collects the data as usually that isn't distributed (I'd be more concerned if telemetry was collected and then available for anyone to peruse rather than just the Manjaro organisation itself).

Re: Manjaro Linux prepares to enable telemetry by default

#37

Post by Retr0id »

LinuxBender wrote: post #21

If they just want to count unique installs, then the comment on that thread I believe partially works: set -x stat / | grep -i "birth:" | awk '{print $2}' Then use the output piped to md5sum to make a user-id. And then finally use an opt-in on demand ephemeral instantiation of Tor to submit the results so they can not get the real IP if they wanted to. In my opinion all telemetry should be opt-in and provide a text/p…

    md5sum /etc/fstab
might be viable too, for GPT systems that contain randomised volume IDs (don't think mine's changed since install). Although then there's a chance it could persist between installs if someone decides to re-use their existing partitions, which would be creepy.

Re: Manjaro Linux prepares to enable telemetry by default

#38

Post by perihelions »

anonym29 wrote: post #13
righthand wrote: post #2

Glad I left for Debian + make/checkinstall. Manjaro is one of the messiest distros I’ve used.

How confident are you that systemd isn't sending telemtery from your machine?

The Debian project would patch that out if it were ever implemented.

Here's a list of package telemetries they couldn't, or wouldn't, disable:

https://wiki.debian.org/PrivacyIssues#Privacy_issues_in_Debi... ("Privacy issues in Debian packages")

Re: Manjaro Linux prepares to enable telemetry by default

#40

Post by cesarb »

richwater wrote: post #16
devit wrote: post #5

They and can should count users only by updates. Make a package that is required and only changed upon each release (containing for instance /etc/os-release) and count how many distinct IP addresses download it.

> distinct IP addresses NAT would like to laugh at you

> > distinct IP addresses

> NAT would like to laugh at you

Not just NAT. On many ISPs, power cycling the CPE changes the IP address.

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