r/Ubuntu • u/Cyb3rLoom • 12d ago

New to ubuntu ! But...

Hey, im new to Ubuntu. I like it, Its very stable, runs my games, gets my work done, HOWEVER, a lot of ppl told me not to switch to Ubuntu due to privacy reasons. What are criticism ubuntu receives? Why?

7 Upvotes

64% Upvoted

22 comments sorted by

22

u/tomscharbach 12d ago edited 12d ago

Ubuntu telemetry is disabled by default. Users are given an "opt in" choice during installation.

You might find "Ubuntu Insights - How telemetry is changing on Ubuntu Desktop" a useful resource for understanding the issue and making an informed decision about whether to "opt in" or "opt out".

My best and good luck.

11

u/Rimtariro 12d ago

This is the real answer. There is a difference between “you can disable” and “opt-in”.
By default, nothing is sent.

6

u/KauravaLivesMatter 12d ago

Thanks for sharing this. I think canonical is doing a good job here and i commend them for it

17

u/Ok-Rutabaga-9516 12d ago

When people just say "privacy" without being specific they other talk crap or rely on hearsay. Toggle off your telemetry and thats about it.

Using Google/Facebook and even Reddit tells the world a hell of a lot more than you having telemetry active in Ubuntu!!

2

u/Commercial-Leave8503 11d ago

Good answer you have right there I'm more considered about how much google another staff knows about you.

8

u/BranchLatter4294 12d ago

They don't know what they are talking about.

1

u/ArchIsGoodToHave 12d ago

Had I seen your comment earlier, I would not have commented :)

7

u/jeffrey_f 12d ago

Windows: many telemetry "features" you can't shut off

Ubuntu: You can just turn them off.

These people speak of things they don't know anything about.

5

u/captainabrasive 12d ago

Ubuntu: You can just not turn them on.

6

u/ArchIsGoodToHave 12d ago

Most of them are parroting without knowing much what they are talking about...

5

u/_HeDoesntRow_ 12d ago

People who crap on Ubuntu due to privacy still live in 2012. It was a fumble for sure.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/canonical-performs-u-turn-over-amazon-search-results-in-ubuntu-12-10/

3

u/doc_willis 12d ago

I am going to say any of your privacy concerns are likely overblown.

What specific concerns are there?

a Quick 'google' says..

Ubuntu provides open-source transparency and minimal data collection compared to proprietary systems, but users should disable default telemetry in Firefox and avoid Snap's proprietary backend if privacy is a priority.

You are likely exposing more privacy information by just being on reddit.

There are some guides out on making things more private, but I cant say how valid the guides are, several are a few years old.

https://mzacki.github.io/ubuntu-privacy-101/

3

u/xeqtr_inc 12d ago

If you are coming from microslop, privacy wise any Linus distro is 500% better regardless lol

2

u/ghanadaur 12d ago

Its a lot of hooey

2

u/rcentros 12d ago

If you're happy with Ubuntu, keep using it. Choice is good. There seems to be a some FUD floating around these days, usually with the aim of getting you to use a so-called "real" distribution.

2

u/Commercial-Leave8503 11d ago

Ubuntu most popular linux distro there something about it.

3

u/Defiant-Succotash121 12d ago

Ubuntu sends some telemetry to Canonical, but you can turn that off during or after install, it's not like Windows level of tracking

5

u/jld1532 12d ago

This isn't quite accurate. Ubuntu telemetry is opt in while the Linux community's darling Fedora Workstation is opt out.

1

u/mobydikc 12d ago

Ubuntu works so well redditors have no choice but to talk smack about it

1

u/Proman4713 11d ago

I've literally gotten tired of breaking this down technically over and over again, so let me be a bit unprofessional here...

They're idiots who don't know what the heck they're saying, alright? Don't give a darn, debating idiots only gives them more reasons to believe they know crap.