Ubuntu Software Called Spyware Over Search Feature

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
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Richard Stallman is upset with Ubuntu and isn’t afraid to speak his mind on the subject. Stallman is the President of the Free Software Foundation and has a big problem with Canonical’s recent move to include its new network search feature, claiming it’s spyware.

“Ubuntu, a widely used and influential GNU/Linux distribution, has installed surveillance code. When the user searches her own local files for a string using the Ubuntu desktop, Ubuntu sends that string to one of Canonical’s servers”.
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Reanimation_LP said:
Do people honestly still listen or pay any attention to Stallman?
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This is ONE place where Stallman is rightly raising a red flag on Shuttleworth's doings:

OP Article said:
Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth talked about the feature on his personal blog, prophetically subtitled “here be dragons.” Essentially, searching your files on your computer is also, by default, an online search. That online search includes potentially relevant results from Amazon, and if you buy something, Canonical gets a cut. This is not advertising, according to Shuttleworth
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I mean there is no reason for this.
 
Is this any different than what the old Google Desktop program, and probably Copernic, do similarly?

Search through your files but goes back to the servers to be recalled from at a later time, or something.
 
This would be a problem on Windows or Mac, but this is Ubuntu. A FREE Linux OS. Canonical needs to make money somehow right?

On the other hand I don't like it either. But this is Linux, and you can choose to install any distro you want. I still use Mint as my distro of choice. As do most Linux users do today.
 
I'm pretty disappointed in the last two years of Ubuntu it's really going down hill now and this is just one of the reasons...
 
I've used Ubuntu since probably 6.10 or so, but recently switched to Arch. Ubuntu has just taken up far to many practices that do not work well for power-users.

While I am not quite sure i agree that Ubuntu could be considered "spyware," I do think that feature is a little invasive. At least it is easy to shut off. While I can understand why Ubuntu would want such information, it seems that it would be better if they allowed people to "opt in" for such features as opposed to not telling them and having them "opt out." In other words, make it obvious and optional.
 
Skripka said:
I mean there is no reason for this.
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I totally agree. But I don't think the Ubuntu search of Amazon products constitutes "spyware". The search is anonymized by Canonical, so Amazon (and supposedly Canonical) isn't mining the user's information.

I'd definitely call it malware though. There's an easy fix:

sudo apt-get remove unity-lens-shopping
 
pxc said:
I totally agree. But I don't think the Ubuntu search of Amazon products constitutes "spyware". The search is anonymized by Canonical, so Amazon (and supposedly Canonical) isn't mining the user's information.

I'd definitely call it malware though. There's an easy fix:

sudo apt-get remove unity-lens-shopping
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Normally I would agree with you...but this is what Shuttleworth himself said:

Mark Shuttleworth said:
Shuttleworth’s answer seems to be: just trust us. After all, we control your machine anyways — we have administrator privileges on your computer:

"We are not telling Amazon what you are searching for. Your anonymity is preserved because we handle the query on your behalf.

Don’t trust us? Erm, we have root. You do trust us with your data already. You trust us not to screw up on your machine with every update. You trust Debian, and you trust a large swathe of the open source community. And most importantly, you trust us to address it when, being human, we err."
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532070_305960582846448_1322352211_n.jpg
 
mhenley said:
A good place to start is www.distrowatch.com and I also found this article from ZDnet. http://www.zdnet.com/blog/open-source/the-most-popular-linux-is/9913

Total usage is difficult to assess, but based on page hits and news articles, Ubuntu slipped heavily with the Unity interface which allowed Mint to take the #1 spot.
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If you understood how distrowatch worked at all you would not be linking to them as proof for a distros market share. Only the truly clueless use distrowatch as a ranking for market share.

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2011/11/dare-to-be-different-ubuntus-popularity-is-not-declining

http://stats.wikimedia.org/archive/squid_reports/2011-10/SquidReportOperatingSystems.htm

Instead of hopping on the misinformation train why not take a look at reality and how distrowatch gets those numbers. :rolleyes:
 
The true FOSS and Linux geeks use Hannah Montana Linux anyway.

hml.2.jpg
 
pxc said:
That's where I got my info. Nothing contradicts that he is saying Canonical doesn't mine user's data, sarcasm that Canonical could aside.
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Data mining isn't the problem...why the hell should a local search query be treated as an internet search string by default? Great the search is "anonymized" whatever that may or may not mean, but at the end of the day if I'm searching my local HDD for "Steve [H]ardOCP kinky porn photos"...Amazon and Google and everyone else will know that query for "Steve [H]ardOCP kinky porn photos" when there is no reason on Earth for them to do so.

Oh AND Canonical and their billionaire playboy will make money off of my local query search for "Steve [H]ardOCP kinky porn photos".

All because of an idea that from the beginning is an absolutely moronic asinine idea.
 
Skripka said:
Data mining isn't the problem...why the hell should a local search query be treated as an internet search string by default? Great the search is "anonymized" whatever that may or may not mean, but at the end of the day if I'm searching my local HDD for "Steve [H]ardOCP kinky porn photos"...Amazon and Google and everyone else will know that query for "Steve [H]ardOCP kinky porn photos" when there is no reason on Earth for them to do so.

Oh AND Canonical and their billionaire playboy will make money off of my local query search for "Steve [H]ardOCP kinky porn photos".

All because of an idea that from the beginning is an absolutely moronic asinine idea.
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Good point.

It's also refreshing to see someone quit using Google and Bing and essentially every other search engine because they use the same practices. And, just like with Google, you can also opt out of that feature.
 
Oh wait. What's that Lassie? You mean he still uses Google? And he's criticizing Ubuntu for the same practices and denies that he's being hypocritical?

And Timmy is still stuck in that well? Jesus Christ. It's been like 50 years. How the fuck is he even alive?
 
pelo said:
Good point.

It's also refreshing to see someone quit using Google and Bing and essentially every other search engine because they use the same practices. And, just like with Google, you can also opt out of that feature.
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Does Google search my HDD by default whenever I do a local HDD query, and send and make money off of said local HDD by sending my local HDD query to online retailers?
 
I wouldn't so much call this "spyware" as much as I would call it Googleware.
Ubuntu 12.xx is pretty much a joke at this point to serious GNU/Linux users and communities anyways.
IMO, 10.10 was the last decent release which did not hard-lock the need for Unity or anything related to it.

I don't blame Richard Stallman, but getting mad at Ubuntu now is like getting mad at iOS or Windows 8, it's basically an OS for those who will never go beyond the GUI and touch-buttons.
 
Skripka said:
Does Google search my HDD by default whenever I do a local HDD query, and send and make money off of said local HDD by sending my local HDD query to online retailers?
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Google makes money off of your searches and tailored ads. Ubuntu makes money via searches and tailored ads (through Amazon). Both are on by default.

And get Timmy outta that fucking well!
 
pelo said:
Google makes money off of your searches and tailored ads. Ubuntu makes money via searches and tailored ads (through Amazon). Both are on by default.

And get Timmy outta that fucking well!
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Does Google search my HDD yes or no? You know the answer, and you're playing obtuse and avoiding the issue and it is pretty damn silly. BTW-Google even ADMITS they are ads. Canonical has actually said per the OP that "LOL those aren't ads", we're just taking your local search string that really should never be shared and selling it to anyone who will pay money for it.
 
Skripka said:
Does Google search my HDD yes or no? You know the answer, and you're playing obtuse and avoiding the issue and it is pretty damn silly. BTW-Google even ADMITS they are ads. Canonical has actually said per the OP that "LOL those aren't ads", we're just taking your local search string that really should never be shared and selling it to anyone who will pay money for it.
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I do find it strange that Canonical would do this, but they have a completely different user-base at this point than they did two years ago.
Even now, they themselves appear to be going the way of Google, just as Microsoft is going the way of Apple.

Oh well, there's only 1000+ other distros to choose from, no big loss.
 
How in the hell does HUD search your HDD?

It's not uploading your fucking horse porn, relax. The way it works is just like a browser search: you hit the super key and you search for horse porn (as one does over a slow weekend). After Ubuntu does its thangy thang in your HDD, it pulls up your favorite horse porn.avi. That part doesn't go anywhere (it's not telling them what's on your hard drive. Don't worry about the authorities). You and your favorite horse porn.avi won't get uploaded to Amazon, but if you so happen to type in "horse porn" Amazon will offer you some sweet horse porn DVDs for your viewing pleasure at a low low cost.

This is exactly the way Google and Microsoft work. They too allow you to opt out.
 
pelo said:
This is exactly the way Google and Microsoft work. They too allow you to opt out.
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Well, for those of the know, Ubuntu is becoming less and less of a valid Linux option at this point.
If they want to take the route that Microsoft and Google have taken, they shouldn't be shocked when their core users decide to abandon ship... all 10 of them. :D
 
Skripka said:
Data mining isn't the problem...why the hell should a local search query be treated as an internet search string by default?
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That's not how it works. Amazon has a set of web APIs (web service) that would take the query, via Canonical, and return results. Google has nothing to do with the transaction. Amazon only knows that Canonical requested suggested products for keyword(s). Amazon has no idea which end user requested products during this search.

I'm not defending the Unity shopping lens. It's an incredibly tone deaf move. If I used Ubuntu, I would remove the lens. But it's not exactly what many people assume it is, besides an unnecessary annoyance.
 
Red Falcon said:
Well, for those of the know, Ubuntu is becoming less and less of a valid Linux option at this point.
If they want to take the route that Microsoft and Google have taken, they shouldn't be shocked when their core users decide to abandon ship... all 10 of them. :D
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I think you're looking at this the wrong way...

Which other Linux distro makes money and has as large a userbase? I'm pretty certain the answer is 'nobody.'

The only Linux distros that make money are enterprise oriented, with RHLinux the top of the bunch, and they make their money via support and licensing. For the average user there isn't one. Canonical is looking to put their foot in the door, and that requires money. They're not competing with SUSE or Mint, but rather Android and OS X and Windows. Those are some big names and that means you'll need a lot of cash.

If that's the way to get a larger user base and increasing market share then I'm all for it. What Linux needs isn't some ideological dipshits foaming at the mouth whenever they see encroachment on their FOSS altar (All hail Stallman), but more users. I've been using Linux for years and that's been the biggest issue. All of the lack of gaming, software, and attention by hardware makers is due to a tiny market share, and all the bitching Stallman is doing wouldn't change any of that.

I can understand not wanting to use Ubuntu for these reasons, but if you're still using Android, Google, Microsoft, iOS and OS X, then you're being hypocritical and applying a double standard. They all operate the same way and for the same $$$, yet for some reason people think that Linux has this secret stash of trillions of dollars it can lean on to compete.

Get real.
 
One way to neutralize the issue is to allow for opt-in via Ubiquity (just a basic on/off switch is needed) during installation with a brief summary of the lens , what's being queried, etc - I'm assuming this will at least raise awareness rather than "exploiting" ones ignorance, so to speak.. I can understand Canonical is trying to make some extra cash, but I'm not too fond of it being setup in an out-of-the-box configuration.
 
Red Falcon said:
Well, for those of the know, Ubuntu is becoming less and less of a valid Linux option at this point.
If they want to take the route that Microsoft and Google have taken, they shouldn't be shocked when their core users decide to abandon ship... all 10 of them. :D
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Well to be fair, Ubuntu is the only commercialized distribution that aims at the desktop. Fedora doesn't really count either as it's a community test-bed for RHEL. I still love/use Fedora, though. :D
 
nOrVow said:
Well to be fair, Ubuntu is the only commercialized distribution that aims at the desktop. Fedora doesn't really count either as it's a community test-bed for RHEL. I still love/use Fedora, though. :D
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Fedora is RHEL's way of saying:

"You guys use this and tell us where we screwed up. When you've found the bugs and we address them, we'll sell it for lots of money"
 
pelo said:
Fedora is RHEL's way of saying:

"You guys use this and tell us where we screwed up. When you've found the bugs and we address them, we'll sell it for lots of money"
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"And then we give it back via CentOS along with all technologies we've inherited from acquisitions" :D

Red Hat is Linux's biggest kernel and enterprise contributor, so keep that in mind.
 
nOrVow said:
"And then we give it back via CentOS along with all technologies we've inherited from acquisitions" :D

Red Hat is Linux's biggest kernel and enterprise contributor, so keep that in mind.
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Oh yea. What they've done for Linux is huge, but I think it's important to note that it's mostly for enterprise/server end.

Ubuntu is working on the other end of the spectrum and going right after the average consumer, which, at least for Linux, is far more difficult given the market share issue. If getting Linux into more people's PCs means finding a way to make the platform profitable then I'm all for it.
 
pelo said:
Oh yea. What they've done for Linux is huge, but I think it's important to note that it's mostly for enterprise/server end.

Ubuntu is working on the other end of the spectrum and going right after the average consumer, which, at least for Linux, is far more difficult given the market share issue. If getting Linux into more people's PCs means finding a way to make the platform profitable then I'm all for it.
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Yeah about that; if Ubuntu were pre-installed and distributed in US/UK OEM retailers, I highly doubt market share would be an issue at all - just look at Android.

But there's this big bully named Micro$loth who's been shoehorning OEMs and retailers for over a decade now. :D
 
nOrVow said:
Well to be fair, Ubuntu is the only commercialized distribution that aims at the desktop. Fedora doesn't really count either as it's a community test-bed for RHEL. I still love/use Fedora, though. :D
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Scientific Linux > Fedora
Too bad it's user-base is tiny though.
 
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