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0 pointsnostrademons10y ago0 comments

Yeah, I first noticed this on desktop software in the early 2000s. Knowing how people are using your products is pretty critical for software companies to improve.

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staunch10y ago

And yet it clearly violates our expectations of privacy. You don't think clicking a menu on a desktop app will send a report back to Microsoft HQ.

There are many ways to improve software that do not involve analyzing unwitting users, like making it clearly opt-in.

bnb10y ago

If it were opt-in, I would absolutely opt-into it. I want the companies who make products I use/consume to succeed - that's why I never install ad-block. I watch tons of shows on YouTube and niche video sites, and I know the ads are what help these companies stay alive.

While I know installing ad-block is still opt-out (not -in), it's still a choice of a click that I'm making. I want to support you, but I don't want the choice of privacy made for me.

userbinator10y ago

By doing that, you're implicitly saying "exploit me". You are helping them succeed, but only in the way that they want. I don't think subjecting yourself to such torture, when it will only bring more of the same, is a good idea.

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