Does Opera remove the Google Telemetry Data ?

[dfato]

dfato last edited by

Question is does opera remove the Google Telemetry Data? I like what I see of opera so far, but want to ensure it isn't under googles control. I know other browsers like Dissenter Browser claims to.

Thanks.

[shintoplasm01]

shintoplasm01 @dfato last edited by

@dfato There's a heated debate about Opera's privacy stance, both here on the forums and elsewhere. Officially, Opera is a Norway-based entity whose products are subject to Norwegian privacy legislation. On the other hand, it is directly owned by several Chinese companies whose leadership has been involved in very shady business practices. Some feel that the owners being Chinese is in itself a potential risk, considering how even private companies are subject to state control in China (including all the data they own). Opera's privacy policy is not great in my view, and Opera itself is not open-soruce. The main question is how much you're willing to trust them as an organisation, and the pros/cons of using alternative browsers.

I personally think the devs are very nice and conscientious people and have no reason to suspect them, but who knows what the senior leadership might dictate behind the scenes? I remain ambivalent.

[leocg]

leocg Moderator Volunteer @shintoplasm01 last edited by

@shintoplasm01 You can check Opera's privacy policy and terms of service to know what is shared/collected.

By the way, what do you call Google Telemetry Data?

[donq]

donq @leocg last edited by donq

@leocg said in Does Opera remove the Google Telemetry Data ?:

@shintoplasm01 You can check Opera's privacy policy and terms of service to know what is shared/collected.

By the way, what do you call Google Telemetry Data?

Have you looked at Chrome traffic, using Fiddler or similar software? Just ugly
Opera doesn't make such connections to google; of course it may create few connections to update adblocker lists or bookmarks or similar, but nothing suspicious.
Well, Opera does connect to sitecheck (what may be considered as telemetry) - this can be blocked easily.

[leocg]

leocg Moderator Volunteer @donq last edited by leocg

@donq Nope, but shouldn't be too different from other major browsers and/or softwares.

And being a Google software, it makes sense that Chrome connects to Google.

[shintoplasm01]

shintoplasm01 @leocg last edited by

@leocg I have indeed, and I stand by my original post that they're not great. Not especially worse than some of the competitors, mind you, but I wouldn't recommend Opera to someone who prioritises privacy and minimal data-sharing.

Having said that, the discussion in this thread probably extends beyond policy wording. This is also about trust in the wider context, and I'm afraid I remain ambivalent about Opera's ultimate ownership (not the devs!). The CEO, Zhou Yahui, and his various companies have been embroiled in controversies (which have dragged down Opera's brand reputation) through involvement in debt-trap loan apps and highly aggressive debt collection techniques.

Does any of the above directly affect my experience of the Opera browser? No. But it does raise questions about how safe user data really is with such ownership, and how sustainable Opera's finances are in the long term.