After the open-source Audacity software is classified as spyware, is it time to uninstall it? Here is the detailed information.
According to reports, the popular open-source digital audio editor Audacity is storing user data on the system. It is called “spyware,” and it also sends information to Russian companies and other companies.
Audacity has existed for more than 21 years and is considered the world’s most popular audio editing software. On April 30th, Muse Group acquired Audacity and promised that the software will “always remain free and open source.” However, according to FOSS Post, Audacity’s privacy policy page was updated last week to introduce some privacy policies.
Audacity contains spyware
According to Fosspost’s July 4th update report, the software’s privacy policy has received some updates in the past month, including changes in how data is collected. In May, the Muse Group completed the acquisition of Audacity. The company has made changes to the way data is collected in the system.
Audacity ‘Spyware’ Claims Follow Privacy Policy Changes By New Owner https://t.co/e71luCJQ4A by @waxeditorial pic.twitter.com/87mOl56lHU
— MacRumors.com (@MacRumors) July 5, 2021
In addition, this music-oriented company is also known for its Tonebridge, MuseScore, and the most famous website Ultimate Guitar. The leakage of personal information on the Internet will seriously endanger the privacy of users. For example, the problematic Audacity spyware collects information such as IP address, processor name, operating system name and version, and some messages.
Spyware collecting users’ personal data
Although this can be regulated under specific data collection laws, Apple Insider recommends that there is no specification or other information about the specific data collected in this process. According to the company, IP addresses are stored for one year and then deleted. A place called hash is used to store this information.
Given the legal power and resources, government agencies can identify the Audacity data collection program users. Assume that the headquarters where the data is stored is located in Russia. This area is currently considered the European Economic Area and contains all information.
Personal data may have reached “potential buyers and consultants.” The report also includes third parties and regulatory agencies. If you continue to collect data without the knowledge of relevant personnel, users will not obtain important information.
This is obvious when visiting Audacity’s GitHub and Reddit. There are now calls for the branch of the software to revert to the policy of not collecting such data from users who only want to use free software to edit audio.
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