http://since1968.com/article/153/itunes-is-watching

According to this guy, the new iTunes, with the mini-store sends the albums that you are listening to to a company called Omniture, that specializes in data mining type things. Kinda shady.

It seems though that closing the mini-store turns off the data-sending.

[Edited on January 11, 2006 at 2:12 PM. Reason : ]

1/11/2006 2:10:32 PM

never used the store anyway.

1/11/2006 2:16:12 PM

never used iTunes anyway.

1/11/2006 2:23:01 PM

I considered it spyware when they first started bundling it with QT.

1/11/2006 2:29:40 PM

So close teh store and run Little Snitch. I stripped every album tag I have anyway.

1/11/2006 2:33:34 PM

Quote :

"never used iTunes anyway."

1/11/2006 3:09:19 PM

Quote :

"never used iTunes anyway."

1/11/2006 4:23:31 PM

OMG, that's so cool! I bow to your 1337|\|355.

I barely know how to turn on a computer.

[Edited on January 11, 2006 at 4:52 PM. Reason : ]

1/11/2006 4:51:06 PM

The irony of course being that the people that are up in arms about this are the same people with their IM clients and their blogging software to display what song they're listening to currently to the rest of the world.

1/11/2006 4:54:16 PM

i don't think anyone really cares

spyware is like gay people.

people are just like "fuck it. it's not going away. just learn to live with it."

lol

[Edited on January 11, 2006 at 5:20 PM. Reason : lol]

1/11/2006 5:20:15 PM

1/11/2006 5:21:14 PM

Haha.

1/11/2006 5:27:02 PM

Quote :

"never used iTunes anyway."

1/11/2006 6:05:40 PM

We know because you make a point of saying so in every thread that even makes mention of the software.

For those with Macs, this is pretty cool. With a simple hack, you can install Front Row on any G4+ Mac. I already did it, and it works perfectly. Even the Movie Trailers thing is cool. I wouldn't mind a little more customization, but perhaps that's for the future, and the defaults look nice as usual.

http://www.andrewescobar.com/frontrow/

1/11/2006 6:18:34 PM

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060111-5957.html

There's an "official" write up on it.

My music is already sent to Audioscrobbler, but the reason this is kind of shady is that Apple doesn't tell the user explicitly their actions are being tracked.

1/11/2006 9:20:57 PM

If this had been Microsoft, there would be heads exploding left and right.

1/11/2006 10:06:47 PM

^^The problem with that is that no one actually reads the user agreements, and it's common sense that information is being gathered if they are making recommendations for you.

1/11/2006 10:27:52 PM

Windows Media player tracks listening habits, but there's a checkbox not to be tracked. I can't remember if it's on by default or not.

But, recommendations and tracking are 2 different things. A system can generate recommendations without storing the info.

How do you think that those ads with the girls from your area work? How do you think they are so accurate? It's because on some website, somewhere, you and others in your IP range filled out a form (maybe for those polls/quizzes) and your IP address and zip code you entered were recorded and stored and sold.

1/11/2006 11:03:59 PM

http://www.macworld.com/weblogs/editors/2006/01/ministore/index.php

According to an Apple rep, the info. is not actually being stored.

1/12/2006 2:35:24 AM

Quote :

"never used iTunes anyway."

1/12/2006 7:49:18 AM

Of all the spyware stored on your computer...this is what you worry about?

1/12/2006 9:28:10 AM

There is no spyware on my computer...

1/12/2006 12:54:59 PM

I considered it spyware when they first started bundling it with QT.

1/12/2006 1:07:10 PM

Quote :

"Windows Media player tracks listening habits, but there's a checkbox not to be tracked. I can't remember if it's on by default or not."

Its right out in front during initial setup along with a link to a doc explaining what they track. And even if the player comes installed on the computer, the first time the user launches wmplayer it prompts them with the option.

I do believe it is on by default, but when you go thru setup its pretty obvious. Its not a scroll-thru-the-eula type thing.

But then again most users just see the next button and click click click.

1/12/2006 1:14:24 PM