Spyware coverage incomplete - limited to Dash
Affects | Status | Importance | Assigned to | Milestone | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ubuntu |
Expired
|
Critical
|
Unassigned |
Bug Description
The new spyware feature of Unity Dash in 12.10 is a welcome improvement, but needs to be extended to all Ubuntu packages.
Ever since I switched my home computers to GNU/Linux, closed my Facebook account and stopped using Google Search, I have been suffering. Finally now with Dash, some of my private information is once again being disclosed along with my IP address to Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, BBC and Canonical, but this is limited.
Dangerous gaps still remain in my files in the mass surveillance databases of several governments. Plus I find myself at the supermarket wondering what to buy, not having seen enough targeted advertising.
I have tried calling Amazon and asking them to send someone around who can watch everything I do outside of Dash and then shout personalized advertisements at me, but they have refused. Likewise, no government would send a spook around specifically to record my computing actions. Apparently when it comes to mass coverage, they all rely on the vast economies provided by software with built-in spying.
Ubuntu is to be commended for finally introducing automatic spying for profit to the world of GNU/Linux and so-called "free" software, but at the moment it doesn't go far enough.
It needs to be extended to every package. I was thinking -- my computer has a webcam. You could even include some code to secretly turn it on to record images of myself, my wife and my children, tag them and then pass them along to Facebook to include in its mass biometrics database. I would feel much safer if this were the case, plus possibly you could strike a deal with a cosmetics company to provide customised cosmetics purchase suggestions.
In fact, perhaps you could incorporate the webcam app with a system-wide keylogger which sends all keystrokes and screen shots back to Canonical for further distribution. You could call it Unity Telescreen.
Changed in ubuntu: | |
status: | New → Invalid |
Changed in ubuntu: | |
status: | Invalid → Incomplete |
Changed in ubuntu: | |
importance: | Undecided → Critical |
Marking invalid. There is no need to collect data for personalized advertisements. The shopping lens only serves only for searching Amazon and displaying the results in the dash as suggestions.