Consumer Rights Wiki - User contributions [en]

2025-06-06T11:12:54Z

Quik:

{{StubNotice}}

{{InfoboxCompany
| Company = Reddit
| Name = Reddit
| Type = Public
| Founded = 2005
| Industry = Social Media Services
| Official Website = https://reddit.com/
| Logo = Reddit_logo_2023.svg.png
}}[[wikipedia:Reddit|'''Reddit''']] is an American social media network for social-news aggregation, content rating, and forums. As of December 2024, Reddit is the eighth most-visited website in the world. It was founded in 2005 by University of Virginia roommates Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian, as well as Aaron Swartz.

==Incidents==
===Going closed source===
In September 2017, Reddit reverted on their open source policy and archived their public repositories, citing difficulty to stealth launch features and desire to move away from a monorepo architecture. Users responded by noting that neither of these reasons require being closed source, and that Reddit had been slowly becoming less transparent over time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=An update on the state of the reddit/reddit and reddit/reddit-mobile repositories |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/changelog/comments/6xfyfg/an_update_on_the_state_of_the_redditreddit_and/ |url-status=live |access-date=21 Apr 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>

===Data breach===
In August 2018, Reddit suffered a data breach due to employees using SMS two-factor authentication (2FA). Leaked data included old hashed passwords and private messages from before 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 Aug 2018 |title=Reddit Breach Highlights Limits of SMS-Based Authentication |url=https://krebsonsecurity.com/2018/08/reddit-breach-highlights-limits-of-sms-based-authentication/ |url-status=live |access-date=21 Apr 2025 |website=krebsonsecurity.com}}</ref>

===Erasing Aaron Swartz===
In October 2020, Reddit removed the late co-founder [[wikipedia:Aaron_Swartz|'''Aaron Swartz''']] from their About page.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 Oct 2020 |title=Reddit’s About page doesn't include Aaron Swartz as a founder |url=https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24677419 |url-status=live |access-date=21 Apr 2025 |website=news.ycombinator.com}}</ref> Swartz was a political activist supporting open access to knowledge resources. He died by suicide in 2013 to avoid prosecution for leaking MIT's archive of research articles.

===API paywall===
In April 2023, Reddit announced that they would be locking API features and functionality previously accessible to its users behind a paywall, citing concerns about user generated content being trained on AI. This resulted in a backlash in the community, as alternative apps utilizing Reddit's API would be rendered completely useless as a result of this decision. While some users held out hope that app developers could pay this fee to keep their user base, Apollo developer Christian Selig crushed any hope of this idea, explaining that the cost of this API fee was too high and that he would be ceasing development for the foreseeable future.

Users expressed concerns that this wasn't because of AI, but rather, due to greed and an attempt to monopolize information, as Reddit is often cited as many people's go to resource for almost any topic. This sentiment resulted in one of the largest internet protests known as the Reddit Blackout. The Reddit Blackout was an event in which subreddits were closed, marked as NSFW to prevent advertisements from being displayed on them, or flooded with posts shaming Reddit's CEO, Steve Huffman. Users also edited their posts, deleted them, or deleted their Reddit accounts to shame Huffman in an attempt to reduce the value of the information.<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Reddit_API_controversy "2023 Reddit API controversy"] - Wikipedia </ref> 

===VPN blockage===
In December 2023, Reddit started blocking users from accessing the site while using a VPN, unless they logged in.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 Dec 2023 |title=Tell HN: Just noticed Reddit blocking VPN traffic. Old subdomain still works |url=https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38666028 |url-status=live |access-date=21 Apr 2025 |website=news.ycombinator.com}}</ref>

===Ads looking like user posts===
In March 2024, Reddit rolled out a feature that made ads look like they came from real users (and by extent, were "upvoted" by real users). Reddit boasted that these ads had a 28% higher click-through rate than regular ads.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Malik |first=Aisha |date=4 Mar 2024 |title=Reddit introduces a new ad format that looks similar to posts made by users |url=https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/14/reddit-introduces-a-new-ad-format-that-looks-similar-to-posts-made-by-users/ |url-status=live |access-date=21 Apr 2025 |website=TechCrunch}}</ref>

==References==
<references />

==See also==
*[[Lemmy]]
[[Category:Reddit]]

Canonical

2025-06-06T11:10:31Z

Quik: Ads for Ubuntu Pro when running apt

{{InfoboxCompany
| Name = Canonical Ltd.
| Type = Private company limited by shares
| Founded = 2004
| Industry = Computer Software
| Official Website = https://www.canonical.com/
| Logo = Canonical logo 2023.svg
}}

[[wikipedia:Canonical_(company)|'''Canonical''']] is a software company best known for creating Ubuntu. It is largely funded by South African billionaire Mark Shuttleworth.

==Upstreaming==

Alongside Red Hat and Google, Canonical makes up a substantial portion of upstream security patches in the Linux ecosystem. They maintain AppArmor,<ref>{{Cite web |title=AppArmor |url=https://apparmor.net/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[AppArmor]]}}</ref> a Linux security system that proactively manages threats, Snap,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The app store for Linux |url=https://snapcraft.io/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Snapcraft]]}}</ref> a Linux appstore with sandbox support, and Livepatch,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Livepatch |url=https://docs.kernel.org/livepatch/livepatch.html |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Livepatch]]}}</ref> a system to patch the Linux kernel without needing to reboot.

==Tracking==

Canonical is collecting user telemetry from Snap,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Snap Store metrics |url=https://snapcraft.io/docs/snap-store-metrics |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Snapcraft]]}}</ref> which is shipped by default in Ubuntu.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Installing snap on Ubuntu |url=https://snapcraft.io/docs/installing-snap-on-ubuntu |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Snapcraft]]}}</ref>

Previously, Canonical sent local file search queries to their own servers, which were used to recommend ads on Amazon.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stallman |first=Richard |date=12 Jul 2012 |title=Ubuntu Spyware: What to do? |url=https://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/ubuntu-spyware-what-to-do |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Free Software Foundation]]}}</ref> In 2014, this feature was removed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoffman |first=Chris |date=29 Oct 2014 |title=Ubuntu’s Unity 8 desktop will remove the Amazon search ‘spyware’ |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/436097/ubuntus-unity-8-desktop-removes-the-amazon-search-spyware.html |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[PCWorld]]}}</ref>

In 2018, telemetry tracking for hardware components, software configuration, and crashes has been added in an opt-out model.<ref>https://superuser.com/questions/1311588/how-to-opt-out-usage-data-collection-in-ubuntu-18-04-bionic</ref>

==Ads==
[[File:Grafik.png|alt=Running apt update in the terminal shows an ad for Ubuntu Pro|thumb|Running apt update in the terminal shows an ad for Ubuntu Pro]]
Canonical started adding opt-out<ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://askubuntu.com/questions/1434512/how-to-get-rid-of-ubuntu-pro-advertisement-when-updating-apt}}</ref> ads for their Ubuntu Pro service to apt when updating Ubuntu in September of 2022.<ref>https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2022/10/ubuntu-pro-terminal-ad</ref>

==References==
<references />

File:Ubuntu terminal ad for Pro.png

2025-06-06T11:07:16Z

Quik:

Running apt upgrade in the terminal shows an ad for Ubuntu Pro by default

Canonical

2025-06-06T11:05:49Z

Quik:

{{InfoboxCompany
| Name = Canonical Ltd.
| Type = Private company limited by shares
| Founded = 2004
| Industry = Computer Software
| Official Website = https://www.canonical.com/
| Logo = Canonical logo 2023.svg
}}

[[wikipedia:Canonical_(company)|'''Canonical''']] is a software company best known for creating Ubuntu. It is largely funded by South African billionaire Mark Shuttleworth.

==Upstreaming==

Alongside Red Hat and Google, Canonical makes up a substantial portion of upstream security patches in the Linux ecosystem. They maintain AppArmor,<ref>{{Cite web |title=AppArmor |url=https://apparmor.net/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[AppArmor]]}}</ref> a Linux security system that proactively manages threats, Snap,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The app store for Linux |url=https://snapcraft.io/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Snapcraft]]}}</ref> a Linux appstore with sandbox support, and Livepatch,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Livepatch |url=https://docs.kernel.org/livepatch/livepatch.html |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Livepatch]]}}</ref> a system to patch the Linux kernel without needing to reboot.

==Tracking==

Canonical is collecting user telemetry from Snap,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Snap Store metrics |url=https://snapcraft.io/docs/snap-store-metrics |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Snapcraft]]}}</ref> which is shipped by default in Ubuntu.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Installing snap on Ubuntu |url=https://snapcraft.io/docs/installing-snap-on-ubuntu |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Snapcraft]]}}</ref>

Previously, Canonical sent local file search queries to their own servers, which were used to recommend ads on Amazon.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stallman |first=Richard |date=12 Jul 2012 |title=Ubuntu Spyware: What to do? |url=https://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/ubuntu-spyware-what-to-do |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[Free Software Foundation]]}}</ref> In 2014, this feature was removed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoffman |first=Chris |date=29 Oct 2014 |title=Ubuntu’s Unity 8 desktop will remove the Amazon search ‘spyware’ |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/436097/ubuntus-unity-8-desktop-removes-the-amazon-search-spyware.html |url-status=live |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |website=[[PCWorld]]}}</ref>

In 2018, telemetry tracking for hardware components, software configuration, and crashes has been added in an opt-out model.<ref>https://superuser.com/questions/1311588/how-to-opt-out-usage-data-collection-in-ubuntu-18-04-bionic</ref>

<nowiki>#</nowiki>

==Ads==

Canonical started adding ads for their Ubuntu Pro service to apt when updating Ubuntu in September of 2022.<ref>https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2022/10/ubuntu-pro-terminal-ad</ref>

==References==
<references />