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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways
- Operating systems cod information successful antithetic ways.
- Linux distributions are transparent astir that collection.
- Canonical's making immoderate changes to however it collects information.
Telemetry: the successful situ postulation of measurements oregon different information astatine distant points and their automatic transmission to receiving instrumentality (telecommunication).
When you notation that connection to anyone who's been astir exertion agelong enough, you'll astir apt beryllium fixed a effect akin to derision. That's due to the fact that astir radical subordinate telemetry with an penetration of privacy.
In today's world, companies and services spell retired of their mode to cod information from users due to the fact that it has value. Data tin beryllium utilized to make profiles for targeted marketing. Data tin besides beryllium sold. Companies wage anyplace from a fewer cents to a fewer dollars per idiosyncratic due to the fact that they cognize however troves of idiosyncratic information tin assistance them.
From the idiosyncratic broadside of things, that tin consciousness unethical.
No substance the level you use, telemetry is simply a thing. Linux, MacOS, Windows, Android, iOS, Facebook, Amazon... Everyone wants to cod your accusation due to the fact that it has value. The cardinal is wherever the worth lies. To immoderate companies, the worth lies successful collecting the information to make profiles connected users. To others, it's a means to a profitable extremity (yes, immoderate bash merchantability your information).
And past there's Linux. Specifically, Ubuntu.
How Ubuntu does telemetry differently
Canonical's Ubuntu telemetry postulation is done retired successful the open. This was brought to the fore precocious erstwhile Canonical announced a alteration to however the institution collects data. This was announced connected the official Ubuntu Discord, and the institution went into large item astir what is to come.
Essentially, Canonical is swapping retired an aging strategy (Ubuntu Report) for thing caller (Ubuntu Insights). In some systems, telemetry is wholly opt-in, and zero idiosyncratic accusation is collected.
Also: 11 ways to delete oregon fell yourself from the net - and support your privacy
Now, clasp on. You mightiness beryllium asking, "How bash you cognize that nary idiosyncratic information is collected?" Well, my friends, similar with astir open-source tools, you tin spot for yourself.
The telemetry record successful Ubuntu is saved successful ~/.cache/ubuntu-insights/linux/local/ and is successful JSON format. I checked a precocious installed Ubuntu 25.10 lawsuit and recovered the pursuing accusation successful the json file:
{"insightsVersion":"0.6.2","collectionTime":1764081407,"systemInfo":{"hardware":{"product":{"family":"Virtual Machine","name":"VirtualBox","vendor":"innotek GmbH"},"cpu":{"name":"AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 12-Core Processor","vendor":"AuthenticAMD","architecture":"x86_64","cpus":2,"sockets":1,"coresPerSocket":2,"threadsPerCore":1},"gpus":[{"device":"0x0405","vendor":"0x15ad","driver":"vmwgfx"}],"memory":{"size":3402},"disks":[{"size":91750,"type":"disk","children":[{"size":1,"type":"part"},{"size":91750,"type":"part"}]}],"screens":[{"physicalResolution":"1223x873","refreshRate":"60.00"}]},"software":{"os":{"family":"linux","distribution":"Ubuntu","version":"25.10"},"timezone":"UTC","language":"en_US","bios":{"vendor":"innotek GmbH","version":"VirtualBox"}},"platform":{"desktop":{"desktopEnvironment":"ubuntu:GNOME","sessionName":"ubuntu","sessionType":"wayland"}}}}
As you tin see, there's zero idiosyncratic accusation collected.
Canonical's caller strategy besides goes 1 measurement further.
The telemetry is collected during the installation of the OS and is saved successful the ~/.cache/ubuntu-insights/linux/local directory. That accusation is held determination for 1 week. After the week passes, if the idiosyncratic hasn't opted into sending telemetry, the accusation remains. If the idiosyncratic has opted in, the accusation is past sent to the Canonical servers and is copied into the ~/.cache/ubuntu-insights/linux/uploaded directory. You tin presumption that accusation astatine immoderate clip to cognize precisely what has been sent.
No accusation beyond that record is collected. Period. That accusation is uploaded erstwhile per month, successful lawsuit thing changes.
Why bash Linux distros fuss with telemetry?
The superior crushed Linux distributions cod accusation is spelled retired successful the Canonical report:
"...the insights that the information provides are genuinely utile for america arsenic developers and publishers. For instance, hardware and show information usher show and plan optimizations and amended Ubuntu itself. Having information connected partition types and whether encryption is enabled helps america arsenic developers recognize however users of Ubuntu usage the cryptographic features we are developing, specified arsenic TPM-backed FDE, to enactment secure."
There's different precise important crushed the information is collected. At slightest with Canonical, that accusation is shared with hardware vendors to beryllium determination is request for Linux enactment connected components and peripherals. And due to the fact that the lone accusation that is collected is precise overmuch retired successful the open, you tin spot that thing idiosyncratic is being shared oregon sold.
That crushed cannot beryllium overstated. When vendors spot hard information that points to a emergence successful Linux usage, you tin stake they'll instrumentality supporting the OS seriously. When a vendor takes an OS seriously, it means they'll make drivers, software, oregon adjacent circumstantial hardware for it.
Also: Why radical support flocking to Linux successful 2025 (and it's not conscionable to flight Windows)
Consider this: Let's accidental Canonical sees a 1,000% emergence successful telemetry information collected. They tin past instrumentality that accusation to, say, HP oregon Lenovo, and say, "See, much and much radical are utilizing Linux, and we person the receipts to beryllium it." Those companies volition instrumentality that information seriously, which could pb to much systems sold with Linux preinstalled. It could besides positively interaction the improvement of instrumentality drivers, allowing much peripherals to beryllium supported connected Linux.
This is simply a win/win situation, wherever Canonical has information showing what hardware is being utilized for its OS, what OS is installed, what model strategy is successful place, etc. That paints a circumstantial representation that the institution tin usage to assistance amended the wide experience.
I realize, for some, this is simply a hard sell. There are users retired determination who bash not privation their idiosyncratic accusation shipped disconnected to 3rd parties for immoderate reason. However, the accusation collected by Ubuntu Insights is harmless and afloat transparent. And the information that it tin really assistance amended and grow Linux arsenic a full is simply a large bonus.
If you're inactive wary of opting in, cognize that Canonical has adjacent open-sourced Ubuntu Insights, truthful anyone tin spell done the root and verify immoderate and each claims made by Canonical. As well, you tin support a changeless ticker connected the information that is collected and uploaded to Canonical.
One mightiness adjacent beryllium truthful inclined to constitute a bash publication that regularly emails the contents of the telemetry record to an email relationship for play viewing. Of course, you could conscionable manually presumption the contents of the file, but penning a bash publication is ever fun.
In each of my years of utilizing Linux, I've ne'er erstwhile been acrophobic that my accusation was being collected by the OS and utilized for ill-gotten purposes. If I opt successful to telemetry (which I usually do), I spot that the accusation volition assistance the improvement teams (or companies) down the organisation amended recognize the hardware being utilized and, with that information, tin amusement important statistic to vendors to beryllium that their components are successful request for the open-source operating system.
Other operating strategy developers request to larn this acquisition quickly; otherwise, they whitethorn proceed to spot users flocking to Linux successful droves.
I'm OK with that.
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