This link relating to possible Adobe spying has several intriguing aspects.
First it was published on 6 Oct. A multitude of comments came in on 7 Oct. The comments are technical, dealing with programming realities of what the program is and what it does. Not the usual series of opinions full of four letter attacks on the opinions of others but contributions that have probable, provable, factual information or observations that relate to finding the truth of the matter.
Oh, that politics and Isis could be so factually examinable and conclusive.
Conclusive? It looks like Adobe application is phoning home with something. Then it gets complex but not obscurely complicated because it can be examined to definitively find out what it does, what it transmits but not clearly expose what may be the purpose or how it may be used. The right to do it conferred by some user agreement to offer up their first born as a condition of use may be legally factual enough to get Adobe off the hook for anything less than killing that first born.
It is 8 Oct. and look at the link to see how quickly this entire situation developed after it was exposed. The speed of unraveling is amazing. While some comments display a lack of tech knowledge, other comments appear to have a depth of tech knowledge behind them.
To those with tech knowledge, and there are many, I expect there is some kind of detective game playing thrill to drill down into programming language and the data it work with to discover and expose skullduggery. To them it may be like reading a mystery novel to discover the clues to who done it and discover means and motive. A real life game! Perhaps more thrilling for them than first person shooters.
Thank the data gods for people like that. technical experts at the programming level that can examine input, output, communications, processing and data relationships. Thank the gods of data analysts that may not know the intricacies of programming but work with the product of that programming to realize, to see the forest for the trees, to put broad content and system output together to reveal how it was obtained and how it is used. Then to test that against a moral code of privacy, legality, responsibility and do the right thing.
It is a good relationship between programmers and data analysts that either one can surface a problem and the other can can examine it to create a bigger picture of what is how it is done, how the pieces from the line of code on up to high level output fit together and whether or not to process is legitimate.
If not legitimate then I salute those that blow the whistle to call attention to the problem.
Perhaps this link is another example involving Windows 10? Might thorough examination of the privacy policy be the first and best clue to what nefarious things the privacy policy statement is attempting to protect the creator of the application from prosecution?
Hey, you use our software and consent to whatever its terms and conditions are and it is clearly stated that we are granted the right to steal your private information and if you accuse us of stealing you agree that any and all of your accusations are lies for which you will be prosecuted for with no limits on seizure of your personal property.
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