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 🙏🏼
Most distros don’t collect any data by default.
Basically any distro not built and maintained by a company will be a thousand times more private than Mac or windows. Arch and Debian are both good in that regard, most distros are derived from those. There is also Fedora which is a community project, but it’s very heavily involved with Red Hat inc who is owned by IBM. I’ve never heard about any privacy issues there, but, it’s worth keeping in mind.
If you want something super secure and locked down in regards to privacy, there is Tails which has a lot of neat tricks and tor built in. Not sure I’d recommend it as a daily driver but it’s got it’s use cases.
I can’t imagine IBM would fall that low that they need to add spyware into their OS.
IBM focuses on cloud infrastructure, their buisness strategy is on cloud infrastructure for buisnesses not consumer grade products like what google has created.
I wouldn’t be surprised just shocked if they did go and add spyware to their fedora OS. it just doesn’t make any sense.
Tails isn’t really a security focused distro, no significant kernel or other security hardening. It is amnesic. Whonix (based on Kicksecure) is security hardened but still based on Debian which isn’t great for a security base.
Secureblue is what I would recommend because it a security focused Linux distro that benefits from Fedora’s SELinux, and has a bunch of its own additions.
QubesOS is obviously the best for security. Combine that with a Whonix or Secureblue guest OS and you’re perfect.
I completely forgot secureblue. But it was not worth the hassle for my working environment
Hannah Montana Linux
Gets hardened, privacy focussed distro.
Logs into Google on browser.
As others said Ubuntu got kinda scummy. I always send people that are new or have decision paralysis here
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.
you could probably notice spyware just by the usage of memory and cpu, spyware is easily detectable on the hardware side.
if your trying to eliminate any data collection in your OS your best interest is to do LFS (Linux from scratch). LFS is not an operating system in specific but rather a guide on how to build your own linux system. I started doing it recently with alpine linux, but arch and debian work as well. With this method You control every single aspect of what gets utilized (besides key OS functionality that allows it to operate), and what doesn’t.
spyware much like maleware is decided by you, not the OS.
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.
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.
Linux, in general, is excellent for privacy. Period. Like, it literally can’t get better than no telemetry.
Regarding Ubuntu, it has had some controversies:
- Amazon Lens is a very significant one. Even prompting Richard Stallman to call it out for spyware.
- The Snap store being proprietary.
I’d argue that the above just makes it hard(er) to trust them.
Consider taking a look at Privacy Guides’ recommendations.
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.
Privacy or Security? Security would be something like Fedora Atomic. Privacy (and security?) QubesOS , TailsOS But as Linux is FOSS, you can just take any distro and form it as you like.
Fedora Atomic is not more secure than traditional Fedora. That is a misconception.
Qubes, Kicksecure/Whonix, and Secureblue are basically the only major security focused Linux distros.
Tails is focused on anonymity, not simply privacy (same with Whonix). Tails is not really security hardened.
Listen, anything is better than Windows. That being said, Ubuntu is about as close as Linux gets to Windows in data collection and robbing control from the user. It’s the only distro I recommend everyone to NOT use.
Ubuntu is about as close as Linux gets to Windows in data collection in data collection and robbing control from the user.
While Ubuntu does have a worse track record in both departments compared to any other distro, it’s worth noting that neither data collection nor the patronising of users are close to Windows levels. (Your comment might be understood like that.)
Imagine drinking a fancy cocktail - that’s most Linux distros.
Ubuntu is like that, but with a few sprinkles of piss mixed in.
Windows is mostly piss these days, but with a cherry and a little umbrella, and it’s what everyone’s having, so it can’t be that bad - right?I do like an explanation comparing the pissedy of things
Agreed, do not use Ubuntu.
But it’s still miles away from Window… and technically you can get closer with a Linux System… e.g. Google Android.
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!
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.
What’s up with all these people treating Lemmy like a search engine recently?
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
Search engines are flooded with AI generated crap now. The signal to noise ratio is awful.
It’s like Reddit. No one searches and just assumes everyone “works for them”
