CCleaner promises to give users more control over data after backlash

CCleaner, the popular Mac and Windows system cleaning tool, has responded to user outrage over its new user data collection policies, which collected anonymized data to "gain greater insight into how our users interact with the software," according to the CCleaner staff. The data collection methods, called Active Monitoring and heartbeat, were incredibly difficult to opt out of. The team at CCleaner has promised to give users more control over whether or not their data is collected and submitted, as well as implement these changes in a timely fas hion.

In a forum post, Paul Piriform emphasizes the anonymized nature of the data. He blames the uproar primarily on Active Monitoring's "scary name," which is a data collection feature that's been a part of CCleaner for some time. It was used to alert users when to clear out junk data. With this latest update, the CCleaner team amended its functions to send the data back to a central hub, which was first noticed by Ghacks.

However, it's unlikely that just the name Active Monitoring is why people are upset. Even if data is anonymized and randomized, people want control over how their data is used and when (or if) it's sent. The fact that CCleaner didn't make these controls available, and according to ZDNet, made the program even harder to shut down (force close was the only option, as traditionally closing it just minimized CCleaner) is a serious problem.

It's good that the team is implementing those features now, but a person's control over their own data shouldn't be an afterthought. And considering that last year, CCleaner was hacked and played host to malware, this entire thing just isn't a great look for the company.

Via: ZDNet

Source: CCleaner



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