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I realised today when signing in, that everytime i use my computer I send some data back and forth to the Ubuntu One service, for obvious reasons, and that would actually mean Canonical could save us users data, like when we use our computers and how, and (if the Ubuntu One-folder on the server ain't encrypted in a good manner) what content we want to save in the cloud, and since Ubuntu One is not open source, we, the community, can't check if Canonical logs more than we are comfortable with.

Don't get me wrong, I'm no conspiracy nut, just courious :).

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  • it could be checking the server for any files to sync.
    – user17414
    May 12, 2011 at 11:56

3 Answers 3

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We don't generally track user behaviour.

We do have some statistical metrics to understand how people use our software, like how many shares do people create a day, how many public files, how much space do people use on average, etc. This is to help us understand how people use our product and how to improve it.

We don't track individual users at all, we don't track what they do with their computers or even what they do with their files.

Developers also don't have access to production, only a small number of sysadmins deal with production servers and databases. Keeping people's information safe is key for Ubuntu One to succeed.

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UbuntuOne's client is licensed under GPLv3. That means the client (ubuntuone-client) shouldn't be sending any usage information to Canonical. However, the server side code is closed, so there could be some statistical tracking.

The website is using Google Analytics both when you're logged in and when logged out.

The privacy policy states that your personal information won't be shared "except to provide you with services, comply with the law, or protect our rights" and isn't even stored "unless required for the on-going operation of our services".

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From the Ubuntu One privacy policy:

Like most website operators, Canonical collects non-personally-identifying information of the sort that web browsers and servers typically make available, such as the browser type, referring site, and the date and time of each visitor's request. Our purpose in collecting non-personally identifying information is to better understand how Ubuntu One's visitors use the website.


When you register for Ubuntu One, we ask for information such as your email address, billing address, and credit card information. Credit card information is only used in processing your transaction and is not stored. Members who sign up for the free account are not required to enter a credit card. We also store information such as full name, email address, and password.

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