Re: Debian systems email info to the debian gods !?

On Saturday 26 August 2006 11:48, Damien Hull wrote:
> I'm doing some work on an Ubuntu server and noticed
> /etc/popularity-contest.conf. I figured if there is a config file there
> must be an application somewhere. There is! It's called
> "popularity-contest".
>
> I had know idea what this thing does so I read the man page. It checks
> to see what Debian packages are used the most. What's bad about this?
> Well, reading further down the man page I came across the following.
>
> Normally, popularity-contest is run from a cron(8) job,
> /etc/cron.weekly/popularity-contest, which automatically emails the
> results to Debian package maintainers according to the settings in
> /etc/popularity-contest.conf.
>
> I checked /etc/cron.weekly and sure enough there sits
> "popularity-contest". This means that the server will run
> "popularity-contest" once a week and send the results to the Debian
> Gods.
>
> I don't think the information that it sends out is a security risk.
> However, I don't recall ever seeing anything about the system sending
> my information out to the net. If any OS is going to do this they need
> to put a big fat label out there saying that it does this.
>
> *Ubuntu Dapper sends out system info once a week with
> popularity-contest!
> *
>
> This is a Debian thing so I'm guessing all Debian systems do this. This
> thing has a website. http://popcon.debian.org/
>
> Again, I don't think this is a security risk. I just don't want a
> system sending out my information with out my consent. I've been using
> Ubuntu for over a month now. Which means there could be a months worth
> of information from my systems on the net. Information I had no idea I
> was sending.
>
> What other types of information do Debain systems send out? Should I be
> concerned?

Relax, if you read the prompts during the install you would have noticed,
Debian at least, asks if you want to participate in ...The reason is they
use this info to organize what apps to put on the cd''s when released.

You also have to have your systems set up as your own mail server etc, me
using pop on acs or gci it doesn't work , so I say no when asked.

-- 
Greg Madden
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