Ignoring privacy sabotages Ubuntu's best chance for success
Gerry A.
gaomb at openmailbox.org
Tue Feb 25 17:29:01 UTC 2014
I have two "specific improvements" I would like to see in Ubuntu. Thanks
for mentioning this.
#1 is the ability for users to uninstall elements that send their data
onto the internet as it relates to Dash searches. 11.10 appears to allow
users the ability to uninstall scopes. But there is no way to uninstall
the capability for Dash searches to be transmitted onto the internet.
Users are left with a "Switch" in the System Settings to control this
behavior. I would like to see a more permanent way to disable the
possibility of data leaks. A way for admins to uninstall the capability
of the Dash to send data onto the internet, irrespective of the switch.
This would be a "specific improvement" I would like to see.
#2 is for improved awareness (and hopefully control) of what
applications are accessing the internet. A way for users to more easily
be aware of what apps are accessing the internet and what data they are
transmitting. It would be nice to be able to log this kind of info.
Currently, if the firewall is set to allow outgoing on a machine then
anything can transmit out on an open port. My guess is AppArmor could be
used to setup some sort of mechanism for users to gain better awareness
of applications' internet access behavior. Something that integrates
with the Unity shell would be ideal.
More generally, by making privacy a more up-front focus in advertising
and feature implementation, Ubuntu would gain more users. Cyanogenmod
users, Blackphone users would all be potential customers. Without a
privacy focus however all these users will not choose Ubuntu.
Problematic though is Ubuntu sending data searches off to internet
servers. It's hard to claim your a privacy-focused company when this
happens. I think Ubuntu could market Privacy as a winning feature for
Ubuntu, especially against Android, iPhone, Mac and Windows. I'm arguing
Privacy is one of the most important features people are looking for in
their electronics software. Ubuntu is in a unique position to deliver
this, but a more visible focus and claim needs to be exerted by Ubuntu.
Thanks for your comments and feedback.
On 24-02-2014 06:08, Matthew Paul Thomas wrote:
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> Gerry A. wrote on 21/02/14 16:45:
>>
>> Ubuntu desktop and phone are great designs but contain a fatal
>> flaw: a failure to foster & utilize what would be one of its
>> strongest assets for gaining market share--Privacy.
>>
>> ...
>
> Ubuntu has extensive designs for privacy settings on both PC and phone.
> <https://wiki.ubuntu.com/SecurityAndPrivacySettings> As with
> everything else in Ubuntu, there's always more to do than we have time
> for.
>
> Protracted but non-specific comparisons to DuckDuckGo aren't that
> useful. Most useful would be for you to implement privacy features
> yourself, or find new contributors to do so. But at a minimum, you
> could be more specific about improvements you'd like to see.
>
> - --
> mpt
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