this post was submitted on 31 May 2024
341 points (98.3% liked)
Linux
48323 readers
635 users here now
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
Rules
- Posts must be relevant to operating systems running the Linux kernel. GNU/Linux or otherwise.
- No misinformation
- No NSFW content
- No hate speech, bigotry, etc
Related Communities
Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0
founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
It says nothing about spyware, the article isn't hyped up at all, and describes a token to track installations vs downloads.
"This data will allow us to correlate telemetry IDs with download tokens and Google Analytics IDs. This will allow us to track which installs result from which downloads to determine the answers to questions like, "Why do we see so many installs per day, but not that many downloads per day?"
Also there is an opt-out during installation.
I don't even use Firefox, and I honestly am not attacking but your comment seemed very hyperbolic and with little detail.
You're right that it's good to be aware of this stuff, I also don't see this being a road block for the average user.
Well I used to use Firefox as my main browser, however it does a LOT of calling home. Just fire Wireshark alongside it and see how much calling home and even calling 3rd parties it does. From basic ocsp requests to calling Firefox servers and a 3rd party company that does analytics they do it all, even after disabling most stuff in Settings and config like a sane user would do.
I can't stand behind a browser that still calls home after painstakingly going over every setting in config and disabling everything that can be disabled. If you search a bit online you'll also find that I'm not the only one finding this. There's also the shady finances thing around Firefox and the foundation.
How much do you trust that toggle? Did you ever test if it doesn't call home before you get to the opt out?