Dr. Nikolaus Klepp <office@???> wrote:

> This is a strict no-go. Any software even with the "option" to get you prosecuted by any countries laws will get you in trouble. Any sane person should stay away from that crap as far as possible.

Unfortunately you’ll struggle to stay away. There is a lot of free/open software that can get you into trouble - without you doing anything wrong.

DeCSS is still (AIUI) illegal in the USA - but is needed to watch a DVD on Linux.
Many tools (e.g. WiFi scanners, network sniffers) can get you into trouble because they have a use as “hacking” tools.

Basically any tool which could be considered to have sinister uses, even if that’s only in the eyes of a technically illiterate law enforcement officer, can get you into trouble. Heck, even using a web browser can get you into trouble - there have been a few cases of people, for example, simply editing the URL and being accused of hacking.


Now, back to the original story. If any business collects data, then they may be required to hand that data over to the law enforcement authorities in their country in accordance with the laws of that country. That is certainly the case with the UK and the USA - but normally there is a process that must be followed rather than them simply turning up and telling you to hand it over. In other countries it may be “accepted practice” for someone to turn up and tell you to hand over data, with a firearm to provide some incentive to comply.
Furthermore, in some countries there is a legal requirement to collect certain data - there certainly is in the UK with some service providers.

The best option from a privacy PoV is for anyone to collect the least amount of data that’s compliant with their laws - that way they minimise what they could be asked to hand over. If you are interested in finding out how users actually use your product, e.g. which features are used and need maintenance vs those that are unused cruft, then you might want to collect some usage stats. IFF that is done openly and with the user’s permission then I don’t see that as a big problem - each user can make the decision as to whether they are happy to help with that.

The biggest problem with Audacity is that they did it without adequately explaining what they were doing, using a third party with a “dubious” record on privacy, and generally having a track record of putting self interest above the interests of it’s users.

Simon