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VS Code – What's the deal with the telemetry?

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Re: VS Code – What's the deal with the telemetry?

#181

Post by solardev »

alberth wrote: post #139
rcxdude wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the message is to be believed (and the source code does agree: https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/blob/d32b92bd7a49ce8667b... ), the old settings still apply, the new one may default to 'all' but the old settings will override it, so they've avoided turning telemetry back on for those who had disabled it (in fact if you didn't update the settings and for some reason had only turned off one of the telemetry option…

> @returns OFF, ERROR, ON > ... > return TelemetryLevel.NONE; You gotta love how the documented function return value (TelemetryConfiguration.OFF) doesn't match the actual return value (TelemetryConfiguration.NONE).

If only there was some typing system that could help with this.

Re: VS Code – What's the deal with the telemetry?

#182

Post by woojoo666 »

pleb_nz wrote: post #134

What we need, and this may already exist, is away to sanbox apps with the ability to firewall of incoming and outgoing http request. Does this exist? What would be even better was a solution that had profiles for common usages and apps, and the profiles could be created by all and shared via a community or repo and could be extended and tweaked. Does this exist, is it feasible, or does anyone have a better simpler id…

On linux if you want to block all network access to an app you can use FlatSeal. It's great for VSCode / VSCodium if you don't want to worry about malicious extensions extraditing your data. To install new extensions, just download them from open-vsx or the official vscode website, and then drag-drop them into VSCode

Re: VS Code – What's the deal with the telemetry?

#183

Post by woojoo666 »

sampa wrote: post #38

Is there any AppArmor profile for VSCodium that denies it all internet access on Linux? I'm too afraid to run it.

If you installed it as a flatpak, just use flatseal. And to install new extensions, just download them from open-vsx or the official vscode website, and then drag-drop them into VSCode

Re: VS Code – What's the deal with the telemetry?

#184

Post by naikrovek »

the more people complain about telemetry, the more i know I'm right not to be concerned. if it is a problem for you, go back to emacs 19 or vi or whatever and leave the rest of us alone.

alternatively, go climb the ladder at any company that collects this terrible scourge of invaluable personal explosive data and get them to stop.

I'm ok with this. and just like you didn’t like me belittling your position, as i did above, i’ll kindly ask that you understand my reaction here to being told (without asking, by the way) that telemetry is an unparalleled bad thing.

i wish people who are convinced that some illuminati-like cadre is behind all of these things were employed at large companies which could collect this info. there is nowhere nearly enough cohesion between employees to make anything useful out of all the data collected, much less to act upon it, outside of the developers trying to chase the bug that has haunted them for 36 months, and the UX team trying desperately to reduce the amount of choices in menus. i mean, manage a few projects with people who are all on board with the effort - even those groups are hard to keep focused, most of the time.

these companies use this data for the stated purposes; to help make their products better. if i could explain some of the technical considerations behind the apparently odd choice of data to collect, it would make a lot more sense, but i’m pretty awful at communicating, and even if i weren’t, and i were able to succinctly convey that info, i feel like most of you would just argue with me anyway.

Re: VS Code – What's the deal with the telemetry?

#186

Post by fragmede »

marginalia_nu wrote: post #115
fragmede wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"trap". If feature A has 100% of users using it and feature B has 0%, what should I, as the app developer spend my time working on?

If your application keeps opening popups all the time, I will use the close popup button very often. Doesn't mean I enjoy closing your popups or want to have to close them. The only reason I'm using the feature is to get around an annoyance in your hypothetical application. Frequent use of a feature is just as much a signal that the feature is an obstacle as it is a signal that the feature is beneficial.

Obviously. My point is that some information as to how users are using your application (so it can be made better for them) is better than no signal.

Re: VS Code – What's the deal with the telemetry?

#187

Post by EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK »

shadowgovt wrote: post #113
rkagerer wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is not a nuanced argument or compex issue. Include an OFF switch. It's that simple. Personally I refuse to work with or consult for companies that don't get this. It's a matter of professional pride. If I wouldn't use it myself, I'm not going to foist it on my users.

One of the challenges is defining what counts as telemetry. So they include an OFF switch. Does it also switch off checking for new versions of VSCode? Does it turn off consulting online sources for dictionary updates? Does it turn off viewing the extension library? Those requests are technically also telemetry but if you disable them they look like broken features. The license agreement is written with open language…

Those examples are not telemetry because they only pull data from internet, without sending any specific information. You could check for new versions of VSCode or browse extensions library using just a browser.

Re: VS Code – What's the deal with the telemetry?

#188

Post by phantomathkg »

Tijdreiziger wrote: post #165
5d8767c68926 wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given the frequency of updates, maintaining a privacy fork with anything but minor changes would be a Sisyphean task.

ungoogled-chromium and Bromite do it for Chromium, so it should theoretically be possible for VSCode.

How about we contribute back the changes needed?

Re: VS Code – What's the deal with the telemetry?

#189

Post by phantomathkg »

npteljes wrote: post #82
5d8767c68926 wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given the frequency of updates, maintaining a privacy fork with anything but minor changes would be a Sisyphean task.

Which is exactly what I'd expect from a privacy fork.

How about we contribute back the changes needed?

Re: VS Code – What's the deal with the telemetry?

#190

Post by edgyquant »

belter wrote: post #46
edgyquant wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay but companies don’t just add telemetry because it’s a fun and exciting engineering challenge. They do so for legitimate engineering and business reasons. These solutions have privacy nuance they are not black and white/evil v good

Enabled by default -> Bad Give user option to enable to improve product -> Good

This is a political opinion and regardless an implementation detail. My response was that telemetry serves actual purposes and very useful ones at that.

Our goal should be to adapt and ensure privacy via regulations and standards. Wishing, or enforcing, that every application not have telemetry by default is both unrealistic and unwanted.

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