Ignoring privacy sabotages Ubuntu's best chance for success

[Gerry A.]

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.
> 
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