The Problem with Opting Out of Data Collection

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Manjaro is adding telemetry to their Linux distribution, and it is opt-out by default. That means Manjaro, the company and open source software project, will automatically collect information about its users’ computer hardware unless individual users act to prevent that data collection. And that brings up an important point about privacy.

Privacy is about power.

Privacy is not about “having nothing to hide” or “harmless data”. Once someone else has your information, they can decide what to do with it. And they might make decisions which harm you but which benefit them.

Take Manjaro for example. If they have a complete database about their users’ hardware then they might choose to stop supporting a particular type of computer. That makes sense if not many people are using that computer: it might not be worth the effort to support it. But, consider the other side of the argument. What if you were using that computer? Now a minor cost for Manjaro becomes a major cost for you: either replacing your hardware or switching operating systems.

While this is a pretend example, it demonstrates how collecting even harmless information transfers power from you to the person collecting it.

While browsing the Manjaro forum, I noticed one user wrote that if Manjaro’s telemetry was opt-in then they would opt in, and if the feature was opt-out then they would opt out. This is saying that privacy is the real issue, and that person wanted a company which respected its users’ privacy. I think that is the right sentiment:

Reward companies who respect privacy by default and oppose companies who grab power for themselves.

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I’ve seen this attitude quite a bit actually. A lot of people don’t really mind too much about the actual process of collecting these data, but they’d prefer just to be asked before it happens. Some kinds of datastreams can assist companies/organisations in becoming sustainable. As long as the process is transparent I could see myself allowing this for certain projects, especially if it assists with their longevity.

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For me, privacy has always been primarily about respect. Google and Meta do not respect their users in the slightest, so I don’t use their services. It’s not just about respect, but that is the core emotional reason why I choose services like Mojeek over Google and Bing.

And on the flip side, I actually respect companies like Mojeek that go to great lengths out of respect their users.

There is no way that automatically opting users into something they did not agree to demonstrates respect for them. No matter how noble your cause or how good your reasons. And that impacts my view of a company or organization.

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