Pkg.jl telemetry should be opt-in

Internals & Design
33

Requiring a JuliaHub (or any other) account would

  1. link this data to a person,
  2. reach a fraction of people and thus pretty much defeat the purpose.

I am not sure I understand what “doesn’t seem right” to you about the proposed opt-out approach with a warning, but if you have concerns about privacy, then they also apply for your proposal.

I also feel icky about various companies collecting data about the way I use my computer, but in this particular case I feel that the data is as anonymous as it gets, and the benefits (quantifiable user base \Rightarrow more funding and support for Julia) overwhelm the mostly theoretical concerns.

The change of course should be announced via the usual channels (this forum, the official Julia blog, …) and feature prominently in the release notes so that those who want to opt out can do it.

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