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iTunes is Malware?
Moby writes "On the heels of the big Apple love-in that is Macworld comes some interesting but alarming news. Recently a few blogs have started to indicate that iTunes is tracking your music preferences and using that data to recommend other songs from iTMS. The article provides a good overview, with some recommendations of its own. Basically, iTunes is tracking your music and sending the data back to Apple servers. This info is then used to advertise songs that may be to your tastes. A convenient feature, perhaps, but it raises concerns over privacy."
First of all, I don't know how this qualifies as iTunes suddenly being "malware", but anyway...
Edit -> Hide MiniStore (or shift-command-M)
No information of any kind is sent when the MiniStore is disabled.
What iTunes 6.0.2 is doing:
Sending information about the currently playing track to Apple, and then displaying information related to that track in the iTunes Music Store in the MiniStore pane. It is not broadly "tracking your music preferences".
Further - though we admittedly don't know this since Apple doesn't explain how it is using the data - there is no proof that Apple is doing anything but merely changing the MiniStore display based on what track you are listening to (which is very likely exactly what they're doing); not aggregating or "tracking your music preferences".
iTunes isn't doing this surreptitiously, either: the MiniStore pane clearly actively changes depending on what track you have selected. One would presume this does not happen via magic or the dark arts.
I'd love to have comment from Apple, and a clear presentation that information is being sent to Apple for x purpose, and a clear option to allow - or disallow - such use. I've looked through the iTunes 6.0.2 license and do not see any such guidance.
Granted, the MiniStore pane is present by default, but it can be disabled as easily as is described above.
I realize many people think this represents "going over the line"; but is there ever any instance where datamining to match items you might be interested in to your interests is acceptable? Is there any value to having this be the default state in certain instances where it could be significantly helpful?
While it's been some time since I installed iTunes (to provide support for friends and family -- hard to walk them through an interface I've never seen) it seems to me that the tracking and recommendations is optional. I could be wrong.
That said, even if it were NOT optional, I'm not sure I see the controversy here. People love the iTunes/iPod marriage and the "it just works" philosophy.
Part of that philosophy is the synergy that is the relationship between the user and the product. Apple seems to be good at defining and enhancing that relationship. So, it seems (to me) a logical extension to "observe" the music a user likes and make recommendations therein.
How different and onerous is this compared to the Amazon "people who have purchased this also have purchased ...,"
feature?
iTunes isn't my cup of tea, but for many users, this "malware", in my opinion, is a far different (and more benign) animal than, say, the SONY DRM debacle.
As for the author's opinion about how controversial this should be, quoting the last paragraph from the article:
specifically and especially to his last sentence, I don't (have a feeling this will be making some waves in the immediate future).Furthermore!, it should be pointed out the author "concedes" in the article:
which almost completely renders moot the original thesis.I found the following links since submitting the story:
Here
and
Here
And I've always suspected my local grocery store of profiling me. Afterall, I hand them a little tag on my keychain for my discount, they scan it and suddenly my name is on the reciept. I'd be naive to think they aren't generating statistics about me and secretly making note that I buy far more long grain wild rice than the average consumer.
Suspected? Secretly? They make no secret about it. What do you think those cards are for? They offer you discounts in return for your demographic information and purchasing habits. They print coupons after your sale based on it too. Its not some grand secret conspiracy.
No. It is not.
Malware definition
Perhaps the news submitter ment to use the term spyware?
It can be disabled, and there is detail about what exactly is collected and transmitted in the EULA.
Both features are both missing from iTunes.
I read a lot of these comments so far, and I'm surprised... or maybe not at the apparent apathy towards reading EULA's and other things when you install software. I have been a long time iTunes user and have spent many a dollar there. I discovered the fact that it was profiling based on a particular scheme of purchases that I made. My musical tastes span the globe almost literally. And I could use that to my benefit to try this and it worked. And this was well over a year ago!
And you folks are just now finding this out???
Also on the next note, IF YOU AREN'T READING EULA'S OR AGREEMENTS WHEN YOU INSTALL SOFTWARE, THEN THE REAL PROBLEM IS WITH YOU. And in reality this is so true because iTunes would not be where it is today without the undying love of the music downloader who is now going legit after the death of "free Napster". And you just want to "get that thing installed so I can use it" kind of thinking.
I can't blame them for using a download demographic for pushing similar stuff. Everyone does it. I think they call that... "Marketing".
They teach that in school although I'm not sure where sometimes.
Cheers
All content in this message is copyright (c) 2008. All rights reserved. RIAA is prohibited here.
A couple of things about the ministore: iTunes apparently only uses the "Artist" info to determine what you're playing, and suggest similar tunes. It does this for ALL music in your library, not just items that you've purchased from the iTunes Music Store. This is why it appears that the ministore doesn't change if the next item in your playlist is also from the same artist. If the artist info is blank, the ministore shows the default page, which appears to be the top downloads of the day. As others have said, this can be easily turned off. Since you're not signed into the Music Store (indeed, you don't even need to have an account at the Music Store) it's very likely there's no personal information being collected. So in reality this more like adware than spyware. If it entices you to create an account at the Music Store and make a purchase, Apple will gain something. (And so will you, as you'll have new music you may not have been aware of) If you turn it off, it's no different from earlier versions of iTunes.
Both features are both missing from iTunes.
Wrong.
I have a shitty sig!
As an iTunes user, I discoved The Arcade Fire and British Sea Power through their recommendation service. Today they are two of my favorite bands! I say good work Apple. It's damn near impossible today to find decent music on the radio, so this feature's a great tool for people like me with very specific music tastes.
anyone familiar with iTunes and bitching: why didn't you make such a huge fuss over the little arrows next to the artists/albums that link you to the music store?
they provide exactly the same function and are also enabled by default. however, whereas it took 2 clicks to disable the arrows it only takes 1 click to disable the ministore.
I am with most of the other posters in wondering why the hell this is an issue at all.
I've been using iTunes for around 4 months, and I'm ALWAYS running through the "Just For You" section to get suggestions. I listen to clips, I check album ratings, and sometimes I buy whole albums or just a few songs. Sometimes I put a note in my iPod's notes section regarding an album I want to buy a hardcopy for (I don't have a clue why, and I'm not going to hurt myself trying to figure it out).
Bottom line, I've spent more on iTunes in the last 4 months than I've spent on music in the 4 years before that point. Why? Because I've found an obscene amount of music I never even knew I liked! How? iTunes' recommendations.
Still, what are they using this for? Are they tracking everything I listen to on my iPod? Do they know all the music in my library? I seriously doubt it. I like it that way too. When iTunes recommends something I already own the hardcopy to (typically already imported in my library), I tell them, and they use that info to recommend others. They don't know about the music I've borrowed (short term - I DON'T keep it if I don't like it, and I BUY it if I do - which has also lead to a lot more spending on my part).
Hell, I think it could only be better if they were to implement a wishlist I could dump to my iPods notes section so I could compare iTunes' prices with Strawberries' or Newbury Comics' used CD section.
So, sure iTunes IS bad, but only for my budget! It's done phenomenal things for my enjoyment of music, and that wouldn't be possible without actually using the information I GIVE it.
Just my $0.02, spend it or save it.
This new feature puts up a little pane in the iTunes window that shows songs related to the song you are currently playing. There is no indication that I can find that the iTunes Music Store is actually storing that information. It's unlikely that Apple could store that kind of volume of information, given that it happens on selection, not on playing.
But I don't think people should worry. You can simply press one button and iTunes stops doing it (the disclosure button on the left side of the bottom button bar). It's pretty simple to verify that your computer isn't sending any data on track selection or play when that window is not added, so in general you only get this information when you ask for it. Further, all it has to go on are the identifying tags in the music, and these can be easily changed, so it's not something that could ever hold up in any sane court if someone came at you with a lawsuit. Then again, sanity doesn't seem to be a prerequisite these days, so our milage may vary.
Don't get me wrong, I am not to happy about this feature because it's effectively embedding ads in iTunes. They're pretty well targeted, but they're ads. Still, the article seemed to overreact to what iTunes is doing.
Slashdot. It's Not For Common Sense
For those of you who didn't RTFA or missed what this is all about, the latest update in iTunes added a 1" advertisizing bar in the playlist windows that is easily closed.
THIS IS NOT THE "RECOMMENDED FOR YOU" WINDOW IN THE MUSIC STORE. This is a new bar which appeared prominently in a playlist window by default after the latest update. THIS IS NOT HIDDEN TRACKING. THIS IS A CLOSABLE AD.
The mini-store bar is very obvious. It is annoying that it appears at all, but can be turned off easily (click the close/hide button) just like the album artwork. The mini-store is not subtle. It very clearly is showing songs in iTMS that match whatever song you just selected in iTunes, like other songs by that artist, and such. It does not appear to suggest songs based on my previous purchases. It looks just like the iTMS store (when you get to actual tracks), but at the bottom of *your* playlist instead of going through the usual iTMS clicks.
According to the reports, sniffing the traffic shows that if you close the mini-store window, it does not bother to send any hits/requests/info back to Apple. Presumably because you wouldn't see the results anyway. If Apple is sending my uniqueid along with my selection clicks, this would be somewhat more of a privacy issue.
I am annoyed by the new "feature" since I hate advertising. But I don't see it as a serious breach of privacy, except that a little popup explaining the new feature and what it does would have been greatly appreciated. It's only a little different from clicking on tracks in the iTMS in that it appears in playlists.
Adware? Sure. Spyware? No. Annoying? Yes, for five seconds, until you click the hide button.
Everyone is entitled to his own opinions, but not his own facts.
The button is the fourth from the right at the bottom of the iTunes window. It turns off the Mini Store.
GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
I've had last.fm's AudioScrobbler client (iScrobbler) running on my Mac for ages now. It feeds info on the songs I listen to into their web site, where there's a database and all that. I get recommendations, and so forth. Looks like the new iTunes functionality is basically identical to that, except that now it's integrated with the iTunes store...
Village idiot in some extremely smart villages.
I actually work for Safeway and can reliably tell you that companies pay us to place their product in a specific spot in the store. Safeway feels that a large portion of its profits come from these vendor deals rather then actual product sales. This does not mean product sales are useless, but that we make a very large percentage of our money off product placement.
As far as tracking sales with the club card. For instance, the safeway cards that do not have magnetic stripes but rather just a barcode, that barcode does not hold a lot of information. The other club cards with the magnetic strip can actually made to link to your checking account for shopping at Vons. Of course a pin number is tacked on for a bare level of security. I find that the vast majority of customers will have a club card with correct information as well. Also many of them have the card connected to their bank accounts.
As far as employees not using their club card, I have never heard an employee say they refuse to use the card as it tracks sales (I mean, heck, this company pays your freaken checks, they have all your information ANYWAY). Most employees that do not have cards are really just to damn lazy to fill out a peice of paper.
Speaking of iTunes, yes they are tracking what you download, not sure if they ask or not, though I'm sure its in the eula, but if they asked and you said yes, I do not see the problem. Do not like it, do not use them for your music needs.
Uh, no. By my logic the sign would be big and in bold type (like on apples website) and hanging in the window. But my guess is people like you wouldn't read it anyway, and would whine when they got punched.
It's not hidden at all. Take a look at http://www.apple.com/itunes/playlists/
First paragraph. In bold! Last sentence.
1. Where does it say that? EULA? Some "About" option nobody ever calls?
That would be deceptive -> spyware.
The web site. In plain english. In bold type. In the features list. That would be plain as day -> not spyware.
T Money
World Domination with a plastic spoon since 1984
Can the feature even be turned off by those dilligent enough to do so? (Short of resorting to firewalling?)
Yup. I was able to shut it off moments after seeing it on.. I didn't even know what it was doing there, why I couldn't shut it off or that it was even watching what I was playing. I just went into options, parental controls, and shut off the music store because I don't use it anyway, if I want to buy something from the ITMS I'll just go enable it and purchase, then disable it again..
Also I saw an article today here at macosxhints.com (via slashbox) which explains how to do it too:
"Thankfully, there's an easy workaround. Kirk McElhearn used tcpdump to verify that if you simply disable the mini store (Edit: Hide Ministore, or just Shift-Command-M), then no data is transmitted. So that's the hint -- if you value the privacy of your listening habits, then hide the mini store. "
-matt
According to macosxhints: "Kirk McElhearn used tcpdump to verify that if you simply disable the mini store (Edit: Hide Ministore, or just Shift-Command-M), then no data is transmitted."
:)
Though McElhearn's blog seem to have been slashdotted, poor guy...
"Civis Europaeus sum!"