[QGIS-Developer] Collecting Anonymous Plugin Usage Data

[Greg Troxel]

Abdul Raheem Siddiqui via QGIS-Developer
<qgis-developer at lists.osgeo.org> writes:

> I would like to ask if there are any guidance or restrictions about
> collecting anonymous plugin usage data i.e. 1) Time 2) Bounding Box & 3)
> Algorithm Name at every use of a plugin. There will be a disclaimer in T&C
> that tells users that this data is collected.
>
> Here is how it works:
> Users install the plugin and whenever they use one of its algorithms it
> sends a request to an API with 1) Time 2) Bounding Box WKT provided to the
> algorithm & 3) Algorithm Name. If the request fails, the algorithm will
> still continue and produce results.
>
> The plugin is scientific in nature and this will give us stats on what
> algorithm is being used in what geographic areas.

First: you are posting from gmail and you said "us".  Please tell us:
Who is "us"?  Why are you using gmail instead of an email address
associated with your organization?


I don't know about current policy but what you are proposing is invasive
and ought to be prohibited.  I believe that qgis has a social norm that
what you do with it is private, and that qgis does not spy on you.

"anonymous" and bounding box in my view do not go together.  Bounding
box is particularly sensitive.  The fact that someone is using a plugin,
much less so.  While you are saying "anonymous", the IP address is
available to the analytics server.

In general, Free Software ethical norms are the analytics

  - be opt in, that is, defaulting to off
  - not be invasive, where that's complicated
1
I don't see any way to reconcile your desire for knowing the area of use
with these norms.