Manjaro Linux Working On "Manjaro Data Donor" As New Data Collection Tool

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Manjaro Linux Working On "Manjaro Data Donor" As New Data Collection Tool

Arch-based Manjaro Linux is working on Manjaro Data Donor "MDD" as a new data collection tool of its users. This is intended to succeed their former ping-based solution for user counting plus incorporate hardware/software data collection on users. Once deployed, this will be opt-out handling for the data collection...

https://www.phoronix.com/news/Manjaro-Linux-Data-Donor

[intelfx]

Arch-based Manjaro Linux is working on Manjaro Data Donor "MDD" as a new data collection tool of its users. <...> this will be opt-out handling for the data collection <...>

🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿

[pokeballs]

A sad day for the 7 remaining Manjaro users...

[opticblu]

Someone on Reddit used to sign their posts something to the effect of “I use Manjaro, Arch for grown ups”


… as the old timers here in the south used to say when they learned of someone’s mental disability, “oh, bless his heart”

[Anux]

Well good luck to the Manjaro devs, have fun with the justified shitstorm. You could also tell your users to just use another distro, might be less work for the same result.

[McCarthee]

The downfall of Manjaro is primed for a YouTube documentary.

[szymon_g]

Well good luck to the Manjaro devs, have fun with the justified shitstorm. You could also tell your users to just use another distro, might be less work for the same result.

"justified"

[ezst036]

Let's be sober here.

Not all "data collection" is the sinister data-hoovering that Google does where if they can grasp at your social security number, they'll heartily take it. Google steals all data.

In many instances these Linux distros are looking for nothing but what will make the distro itself better. That includes hardware specifications(CPU/GPU), so they know what to target for, and it also probably includes bug reporting tools so people don't just clog up the bugzilla with "it's broke, can you fix it/I clicked on something and another thing happened what was it" type reports.

Google's evil data retention policies have soured the well of something that would otherwise be very innocuous, turning "data collection" into an Orwellian phrase it doesn't always have to be.

(NOTE: There could be some distro that's out there doing keystroke monitoring that I don't know about first hand. I did not mean that distro, I meant all of the rest.)

[habilain]

Eh, as I understand the tool, they're basically got enough data to fingerprint the system and I think they're also assigning a UUID. If it's opt-out only, then that's a clear violation of the GDPR. I suspect not something that will get enforced, but definitely a violation.

[mixov]

I believe, if you do opt-in, the data you gather will be so heavily skewed you can just leave it be.

Then leave it be.

Between this and CachyOS defaulting to time.google.com as the NTP server, it seems Linux distros aren't caring enough about user privacy. Well that's got to change. People use Linux over Windows or Mac for a reason.