Fedora Planning A Per-System Unique Identifier For DNF To Count Users

[msseufert]

What people think about his is really less important than "what actual Fedora users think about this." Now one could argue that it might prevent additional users from using it, and that at least has some merit (how much is debatable), but Ubuntu users getting up in arms over what Fedora is doing makes little sense.

Let's not forget that Fedora was also the first major distro to implement systemd. My point is that any feature added to a major distro will propagate to others, especially when such distros are the base for other users re-spins. So it makes perfect sense.

[Anvil]

Hehe. Imagine if Canonical made a announcement like this, using the exact same words...

Also, how much more precision they need anyway? If you have people downloading certain key packages (like kernel security updates), that seems pretty precise to me. If they need to track every single active user of their distro, it makes me rise a eyebrow.

CanonicaL use a NTP server instead to get the count of installations

[SofS]

The problem with this idea is that it increases the attack surface by creating a new type of identity related information. Worst, it is of a persistent type, that is, were this information to leak it could be used to mine data already collected elsewhere, creating new correlations.

On top of that, this is an innocuous solution, any large enough deployer will have its own mirror, even many users may not be using an official mirror, particularly in areas with bad extranet connection.

[Danny3]

Did you not read the linked wiki page?


Funny how people are complaining on a site that uses unique trackers.

No, I didn't see the link and in any case I don't have the time to read "It's for your own good or we cannot make good software without racking you" bullshit.
About the second line, if you're talking about Phoronix, it's unfortuanate but understandable that Michael need to make money somehow, even by using these giant trackers.

[Danny3]

Because, for example, I can download a single Antergos iso and install it on 8 computers. 8 users/machines, one download, inaccurate for stat counting.

Tracking things like security updates, etc doesn't help because of chroots, VMs, and whatnot. An Arch user would appear to be as two or more Arch users if they build packages in clean chroots since they'd download the security update with each clean chroot build.

So what ?
If I don't want to be tracked, of course I don't want to be accurately tracked either.
If I lend a book or a car that I bought to a friend, it's not the manufacturer business to know to whom or how many people I'm lending that thing.
Just because it's a sofware product, it doesn't mean that me and my friend need to be tracked on every usage of that product.
What's left to do, put tracking code in every source code available because we don't know who and how many compiles it ?

I see that a lot of companies made good software without any tracking, but now no, you can't even write 'Hello world!' without some user tracking.
Every bullshit company is jumping on the tracking and datacollection bandwagon.
I'm waiting now on the GDPR v2 to cut this crap.

[ssokolow]

How is a UUID less personal than an IP address? I can use a VPN or just put my computer behind a router with other computers and you don't necessarily know who I am, whereas the UUID is going to be recognizeable no matter how I decide to connect to your servers. In fact, the whole reason for this proposal is to better identify unique users, which implies that IP addresses don't do that nearly as well.

Because the UUID is like a Bitcoin wallet ID. It has no inherent connection to any personally identifiable information, you can have any number of them behind a NAT router, and it's easy to swap to a new one.

[Farmer]

Hehe. Imagine if Canonical made a announcement like this, using the exact same words...

Can you imagine announcing a 72oz steak at a vegan restaurant. People would be up in arms.
Should we thus expect people down at the steak house to be up in arms about the addition of a 72oz steak there too?

Different crowds. Different desires.

What people think about his is really less important than "what actual Fedora users think about this." Now one could argue that it might prevent additional users from using it, and that at least has some merit (how much is debatable), but Ubuntu users getting up in arms over what Fedora is doing makes little sense.

Fedora user. Knock yourselves out. I really don't need an "opt in" either if you're just counting users. Count location too. Version. In fact knock yourselves out. Just don't use the data to target me with ads.

[kpedersen]

Its a flawed idea and they know it. Quick disposable VMs / containers are going to generate a new UUID and false count a new user.

But RedHat know this, they want to start exerting control like all the other crooks.

At most, debians opt-in Pop-con (Popularity Contest) is as far as I will ever trust. And even then I always opt out.

Will be fun watching Fedora fizzle out (Like Ubuntu) whilst blaming "user-interest" rather than their own arrogance.

[cynical]

So rather than using IP addresses which is personal, they want to use a unique UUID that isn't personal and you can change/remove as needed?

Seems good to me.

How is a UUID less personal than an IP address? I can use a VPN or just put my computer behind a router with other computers and you don't necessarily know who I am, whereas the UUID is going to be recognizeable no matter how I decide to connect to your servers. In fact, the whole reason for this proposal is to better identify unique users, which implies that IP addresses don't do that nearly as well.

[Britoid]

WTF? Spyware coming from Fedora now ?
Who said I want to have a unique identifier assigned to my computer that follows and track me anywhere?
God, I hate this US/UK "The user doesn't deserve any privacy!"

Why don't they put an online download counter ?

Did you not read the linked wiki page?


Funny how people are complaining on a site that uses unique trackers.