Re: Pivacy issue in v12.10
Originally Posted by
Quarkrad
I must admit I'm struggling a bit here apart from not wanting anything on my pc to go to anybody. I have 12.04 so this is not relevant but I don't quite understand what this whole privacy app does for me in 12.04. As a newbie, I've asked lots of questions over the years, on this forum and never been asked to go near or use the privacy app. If I turn every Record Activity button from ON to OFF in the Privacy app on my 12.04 system what is the effect going to be for me?
Here's where things get confusing for you.
Ubuntu uses a system called Zeitgeist to power its local search capabilities. Zeitgeist does not touch the internet at all, but a lot of people raised a fuss about "I don't want my system logging things", so Zeitgeist's developers wrote the Privacy program.
If you turn Record Activity off, you are only turning off some of the local recording of some of your actions (done for the purpose of search in the Unity Dash and in some other programs). You can't search your local hard disk using the Dash if you have Zeitgeist off. Some system data will still be logged locally by other pieces of software that are a part of every Linux distribution. Locally logging your actions on your computer is not an invasion of privacy.
Unity's online searching is not done through Zeitgeist, so the Privacy program will not affect the online search.
Thatguruguy said it all: The Unity Dash has been transmitting search queries to third parties for over a year, to power the online Music and Videos search. Most of these companies you will be less familiar with than Amazon.
It's only now, because it's a big company, do people make a fuss. If you don't want the Amazon shopping lens, remove it. I probably will. But don't try to claim that 12.04 or 11.10 never sent search queries to third parties. They did.
I try to treat the cause, not the symptom. I avoid the terminal in instructions, unless it's easier or necessary. My instructions will work within the Ubuntu system, instead of breaking or subverting it. Those are the three guarantees to the helpee.
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