privacy settings

**conradin** · April 20th, 2013

Ubuntu doesnt seem to work right ever after any time I uninstall unity.
So I'm going to have to live with it evidently, but the idea of Conical spying on me is disturbing.
I see the privacy settigns, an the little toggle button on/off.
But things like that confuse me.
is the spyware off when i push the button and it is showing orange and say "on" (off is coverd)
or it it off when the orange "on" is covered and reads gray "off"

put another way, is it off when it says "off", or off when it says "on"?

(Im suprized mor folks dont find this confounding)

**Elfy** · April 20th, 2013

It's off when it says off and on when it says on.

**matt_symes** · April 20th, 2013

Discussed before. Many, many times.

...so moved to recurring discussions.

**3rdalbum** · April 20th, 2013

Originally Posted by conradin

Ubuntu doesnt seem to work right ever after any time I uninstall unity.
So I'm going to have to live with it evidently, but the idea of Conical spying on me is disturbing.
I see the privacy settigns, an the little toggle button on/off.
But things like that confuse me.
is the spyware off when i push the button and it is showing orange and say "on" (off is coverd)
or it it off when the orange "on" is covered and reads gray "off"

put another way, is it off when it says "off", or off when it says "on"?

(Im suprized mor folks dont find this confounding)

1. There's no "spyware" in Ubuntu. It's a search engine. Your choice whether you feel comfortable with it turned on or not, but I'll just remind you that your web browser gives a lot more information to random third parties whenever you visit any website. Don't insult Ubuntu developers by calling the Shopping lens "spyware" as it's nothing of the sort.

2. The Shopping lens is only active when you type something into Dash Home. You mentioned not using Unity, so if you don't use Unity then you'll never run a single line of Shopping lens code and there will be no Amazon search queries.

3. Removing Unity shouldn't cause any problems, unless you're trying to go overboard by removing support libraries like "firefox-globalmenu". On the same token though, keeping Unity alongside another desktop environment also won't hurt anything and of course won't slow anything down.

**craig10x** · April 20th, 2013

And to clarify for him... it is on by default...so, if you go to the "privacy settings" and turn OFF the two buttons you see there, then, when you search in the "dash" you will only be getting things that are on your computer, you will not be connected to any online shopping searches from the amazon website or any other "shopping lenses" that ubuntu may add in the future...and it isn't spyware, it's simply a partnership they have with them which generates some revenue for ubuntu...As was pointed out, far more information is sent to third parties when you visit various websites, so unless you are prepared to give up the internet completely, then you just have to accept that it's the way it is!...but no one is spying on you or using your information for unsavory purposes...

Amazon is not using your information for anything other then making some shopping suggestions...but you do (and always will) have the option of turning it off...
I turn mine off only because i would rather get my shopping suggestions directly on the amazon website (which i use a lot) but i do like the idea of it helping support ubuntu...but as an alternative, i support ubuntu by sending donations now and then...