Hello,
I’ve heard that Ubuntu may not fully prioritize user privacy and collects telemetry data. Could you please clarify:
Is this accurate? Are there Linux distributions that place a stronger emphasis on privacy?
Thank you 🙏🏼
Gets hardened, privacy focussed distro.
Logs into Google on browser.
I do use Firefox for browser and for YouTube, I use an external client that manages a local account without Google (for favorites, and watched history in example). But… I can’t resist and want to comment on videos or reply to other comments. Therefore I log into my Google account in Firefox just to comment… The YouTube account has history disabled and some other stuff that Google would collect, and therefore cripple my options and features to use YouTube in the browser.
I am fully aware of the irony to log into Google, while trying to be privacy aware. But the comments… man the comments get me all the time. It’s part of the fun watching YouTube videos to me.
I’m not criticising you. Privacy should be an informed choice. Data exchange should be via consent and transparent.
You seem to know what you are trading and why, so more power to you!
Thanks. :-)
What’s up with all these people treating Lemmy like a search engine recently?
Search engines are flooded with AI generated crap now. The signal to noise ratio is awful.
Well, haven’t we all been noobs at some point? Plus, isn’t it funnier that they ask us rather than asking an AI, for instance?
It’s good, means it gains some popularity. Also search engines often lead you to sites like Reddit, Quora, and Stackoverflow
Removed by mod
It’s like Reddit. No one searches and just assumes everyone “works for them”
If you use Debian, even the simple “package popularity contest” is a default “no” in the installer.
That said, your personal conception of privacy is gonna be different than lots of other people’s.
Debian will include new systemd age-verification. A way to avoid it is Devuan Linux, which is basically Debian but with sysvinit instead of sytemd.
Ahh, let me be clear: systemd is bad. Age verification is maybe bad.
The age verification added to systemd is a field in the userdb json that the administrator can set. It’s intended to comply with California law that requires the device attest when queried.
If that isn’t clear enough: it’s a plaintext field in a text document set by the administrator.
If that still isn’t clear enough: the California law lets you lie and the systemd implementation is designed to accommodate that allowance.
Op should use devuan to not have systemd though, that shit sucks.
Ubuntu has a history together with amazon, sending search queries in the application starter for example. There are better distros out there, like Mint.
it’s been over a decade since canonical ended that little ‘experiment’ with azn.
To answer your second question specifically:
Are there Linux distributions that place a stronger emphasis on privacy?
Yes, luckily most distros do.
If you just want decent privacy, then honestly most of the popular distros are better than Ubuntu.
If your goal is a personal setup, maybe for gaming, I would recommend Bazzite, it is very user-friendly and designed to be as stable as possible (you can switch to an earlier version of the system in case an update or something makes your pc bug). They have a very nice “app store” (bazaar, based on apps distributed as “flatpaks”).
I personally use an Arch-derivative to access some niche software (the Arch “app marketplace” has a community-wide range), but Arch-based distros are a bit more technical to use. Currently, the most popular Arch-based distribution is “CachyOS”.
Having used both, I haven’t heard anything about these distros concerning privacy.
“Linux Mint”, a Ubuntu derivative, is generally praised as a good entry point into the linux world. It is supposed to spin and enhance its ubuntu base into something very user friendly as well.
Depends what your threat model is, if you absolutely want no data about you whatsoever possibly leaving the device because it endangers you then Tails OS is probably the most private distro out there as others have mentioned, but it’s use case is specifically to be used for very private stuff and working through a live USB stick so that nothing remains on the device.
For the average person any distro is a huge improvement privacy wise over Windows, though Ubuntu does have ties to Amazon since it’s owned by Canonical, so if there’s any Linux distro you should avoid for privacy reasons it’s Ubuntu. It’s still incomparably private relative to Windows, but you have nothing to lose and a lot to gain by choosing other alternatives, Mint is just as easy and user friendly as Ubuntu without most of the bloat and Amazon crap.
Hannah Montana Linux
Linux distributions are miles ahead in terms of privacy compared to other commercial operating systems, so just use one, if you want even more privacy, I guess there are distributions that route all your internet through tor.
What about RedStarOS ;-)
Ubuntu now doesn’t enable telemetry by default, but ironically I always enable telemetry when it is disabled and disable when enabled by default.
but ironically I always enable telemetry when it is disabled and disable when enabled by default.
Because reverse psychology. People always does or assume the opposite, because people assume the others wants to hurt them. Yes I made that up and am just joking, but maybe there is some logic behind it. Don’t take this as some sort of personal attack!
Well I assume that if it is enabled by default there is nefarius thoughts involved, but when it isn’t devs have to little data to work with…
Well I assume that if it is enabled by default there is nefarius thoughts involved, but when it isn’t devs have to little data to work with…
I’d like to suggest Linux Mint: It allows you to use guides and software written for Ubuntu but disables all the scummy stuff.
As others said Ubuntu got kinda scummy. I always send people that are new or have decision paralysis here
It’s important to understand that many distro’s are usually based off of another.
We got Debian based distros such as Debian, Ubuntu, PopOS, KaliLinux, LinuxMint and so on, Arch based distros such as CachyOS, SteamOS, Arch and so on and Fedora based distros such as Fedora, Nobara, Bazzite.
Once you learn one of these base distros switching to another within its field is easy as majority of shell commands will be identical.
Cachy is Arch, Bazzite is Fedora.
My bad, thought I could do it by memory.
Minor error here, Cachy is arch BTW 😂
Where the nix btw bros at.
It has been corrected. Apologies.
I think pretty much any of the mainstream distros can be trusted as long as you make sure to check for any “opt-in” voluntary things that many people choose to allow. It’s good to help the developers do a better job ongoing to keep the distros as good as they can be. So if you have a reason to not want any of it, just check the options to make sure you know they’re shut off.
There are probably some distros which explicitly make a point to have absolutely no data sent, but you need to take into consideration what the best distro is for your needs irrespective of this one factor, since none are going to do this behind your back to the magnitude of Windoze or ChromeOS.
afaik, it’s strictly opt-in. further reading: https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/ubuntu-insights-how-telemetry-is-changing-on-ubuntu-desktop/73442
although they’ll still see web traffic from your system if you hit their mirrors for updates and package installs–as would be the case anywhere online.
