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> As a former user* of Madcap Feedback, it isn't what you are screaming
> about. When we used it, users were always informed about what was
being
> collected, why, and how. They were given the option to turn it off.
And
> the statistics collected were never linked to their IP address or
other
> identifiable information.
Were users always informed and given the option to turn it off because
that's how Feedback automatically works or because that's how your
company chose to implement it?
> If any of you civil libertarians had spent 5 minutes of your high
> dudgeon going to the Madcap site to look for information, you'd have
> answered your own shrill questions.
Dan Goldstein did just that and found information that appears to
contradict what you say about its behavior.
> Think about it. You're supposed to be technical communicators. You're
> supposed to search for answers, know where to look for information.
Yet
> not one of you said "That sounds bad--I'll go to the Madcap site and
> look for more information." Or "Does anyone here use Feedback? Is this
> true?" <snip>
This thread didn't start with someone complaining about how Feedback
worked -- a claim that indeed would call for further research before
being believed.
It began with a post by someone who has long represented MadCap on this
list, who has a sterling reputation, whose post started with "+++I work
part time for MadCap++++," and who touted the _benefits_ of this "phone
home" behavior. Accepting her description of how it works wasn't at all
unreasonable.
In any case, if it doesn't actually work that way, fine. But it still
bothers and puzzles me that people who should know better don't see the
problem, that they think its OK to sneak code onto my computer that I
don't know about to collect information -- any information -- and send
it somewhere without my knowledge. As others have noted, it's illegal in
many places and IHMO it's unethical everywhere.
> When are you going to complain about Google, for example, and their
> potentially insidious data collection policies Do you know what
> permissions you've given them, and what information about you they own
> as well as your own postings that they claim rights to?
You're comparing apples and bicycles. I chose to set up a Google home
page, knowing (at least in general terms; I skimmed the privacy policy)
what that meant. But I choose not to blog at Blogspot, partly because of
their claim on the content. I chose not to install Google's desktop
apps. If I did, I'd again be presented with alerts, options, and a
detailed privacy policy regarding data collection and how they use it.
MS, Adobe, and others that want to collect application crash data ask
permission to "phone home" each and every time. It's totally anonymous,
serves a useful purpose, and is to my benefit -- but they recognize that
it still requires my consent.
The behavior attributed to Feedback, OTOH, reminds me of the sneaky
stuff RealNetworks used to do that caused countless people (myself
included) to remove RealPlayer from their PCs.
Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
------
rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-777-0436
------
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