[sanchitml]

I understand your apriori response, but there is a huge difference between analytics and keylogging. Analytics in app is a tool with which we provide better and better software to the end user. This has nothing to do with privacy.

Just like 10 out of 1000 people click on this button so I should remove it. 400 out of 1000 people use this feature, so I should improve it.

How about educating end users on the analytics vs privacy part.

[danprime]

I noticed that Google has updated their privacy policy on using analytics https://developer.chrome.com/apps/analytics#privacy

It USED to read that you had to ask for opt-in permission BEFORE you began tracking (which is the current pattern my app follows, but how many other apps/extensions have I seen do this?.... 0).

In my app, upon install/launch it prompts the user with a popup asking if they would like to help the developer out by sending anonymous data. I made it opt-in (the user had to explicitly check the box). Out of a daily 4500 Active Users, I only have 4 people who opted in (it's less than 0.1% for those who don't want to do the math).

With the old policy of requiring user's permission to opt-in, it makes it really difficult for any developer (who follows the rules) to get any valid feedback. I've posted on the Google Group and Stack Overflow and the question is basically ignored because it's an open secret that most people simply treat it like any website analytics as in they embed the code to track and move on.

I currently follow the Firefox pattern/language choice:

[ ] Share performance, usage, hardware and customization data anonymously with the developer to help make ___ better. <<Learn More About Data Collected>>

TLDR; You'll get 0.1% compliance if you make data collection opt-in and you're upfront about data collection... it sucks because it makes the whole "Collect/Analyze Data" part of Development very difficult.

[goblin89]

> I currently follow the Firefox pattern/language choice:

> [ ] Share performance, usage, hardware and customization data anonymously with the developer to help make ___ better. <<Learn More About Data Collected>>

IMO the wording is really important here. If I were to write this section of user preferences, I'd go for something like:

▸ Help improve X

Click on which expands the panel:

□ Allow collecting anonymized information about the usage of the application. It will be used for <reasons>. Only the following data will be sent to us over encrypted connection: <easy-to-understand list>. <<Learn more>>

(I know it's easy to give advice, though, and I don't have my own product on which to test copy ideas yet.)

[gazarsgo]

Fact: Recording user behavior most certainly is a privacy issue...

My opinion: ...and it should be both disclosed and opt-in.

[goblin89]

> Fact: Recording user behavior most certainly is a privacy issue...

> My opinion: ...and it should be both disclosed and opt-in.

And, perhaps, avoided completely–once your shop has resources to spare for in-house testing and usability research.

[jdong]

Fact: Recording user behavior is extremely common...

My opinion: ...and users shouldn't act surprised by it.

[ankitml]

Almost all websites have analytics these days. Agreed, it should be disclosed but making it opt-in would render analytics useless as less than 1% people would agree to it. Most analytics is not even a privacy issue as clickthroughs and bounce rates do not carry any personal fingerprints.

[aw3c2]

i consider my IP address a personal detail as well as all the browser information that gets used as a fingerprint. The web would be a nicer place without all the analytics, I miss the 90s.

[findjashua]

While analytics is pretty standard, I'd specify what information the app is sending home, and that it's a standard practice (as in almost every app/site sends this data).

I installed your extension, and it's fantastic - here's my 5 star review!

[mrottenkolber]

Analytics in a web browser extension... its just not a thing I can tolerate. Sorry.

[sanchitml]

It is as same as being in Mobile, you tolerate that?

IMHO all static websites have analytics, yes the HTML one's too. Browser extension need tools like analytics 100x more.

[mrottenkolber]

No I don't tolerate analytics on my phone (thats just insane!).

None of my websites have analytics, and I feel violated by the ones that do. Especially newspaper websites are big offenders. I even go as far that my custom build web server does not have a log. I don't want to know who visits my website, in fact if I had a log I'd get rid of it like it was the plague.

Why don't you just ask your customers what they want? That's what I do, I believe I also get more accurate information that way.