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EFF Wants Ubuntu To Disable Online Search By Default

Posted by Soulskill on from the just-works-vs.-just-works-correctly dept.

sfcrazy writes "Ubuntu 12.10 met with some controversy before and after its launch about the inclusion of Amazon product listings alongside local search results. Now, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has raised concerns around data leaks and Amazon Ads. The EFF has asked Canonical to update Ubuntu so it disables 'Include online search results' by default. 'Users should be able to install Ubuntu and immediately start using it without having to worry about leaking search queries or sending potentially private information to third party companies. Since many users might find this feature useful, consider displaying a dialog the first time a user logs in that asks if they would like to opt-in.'"

6 of 124 comments (clear)

  1. Good Advice by ohnocitizen · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Providing users with a clear, easy to change choice up front ought to be the new standard. Maybe some users will want to see sponsored search results (advertising) when they search for photos they took on their vacation to Scotland. Others may prefer to just see the photos they are looking for. Either way, letting the user choose and being honest about what they are choosing, rather than simply having sponsored results appear in a local search, is a much better user experience.

    1. Re:Good Advice by Belial6 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Nobody protests Amazon being included in the search bar in Firefox because nobody uses Firefox to search for local data. Local and remote searching should have a good clear line between them. It should take an active effort on the users part to merge them.

    2. Re:Good Advice by mounthood · · Score: 5, Insightful

      If Canonical had asked "Support Ubuntu by including Amazon searches?" they could have kept the money and the goodwill.

      --
      tomorrow who's gonna fuss
  2. Useless by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Every time I search for "tentacle rape furry herm hentai" I get zero results from Amazon anyway.

    1. Re:Useless by c · · Score: 5, Informative

      > Every time I search for "tentacle rape furry herm hentai" I get
      > zero results from Amazon anyway.

      Try amazon.jp...

      Ah... I wish I was joking.

      --
      Log in or piss off.
  3. enhancement request by MadMaverick9 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Some ubuntu users feel that this amazon search functionality should be expanded to other applications as well. For example grep search results should include amazon search results.

    https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-terminal/+bug/1055766