Balena: Difference between revisions - Consumer_Action

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==Consumer-impact summary==

Recently as of late Balena has found itself in hot water over gathering specific user telemetry on their software Balena Etcher without consent.<ref>{{Cite web |first=sneak |date=2018-02-18 |title=etcher spies on the user without consent · Issue #2057 · balena-io/etcher |url=https://github.com/balena-io/etcher/issues/2057 |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=Github Issues}}</ref> Specific information includes usb device info and the filename to ~~possibly~~ sell to their 3rd party AD network partners.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-19 |title=Tails - Replacing balenaEtcher with Rufus as installer for Windows |url=https://tails.net/news/rufus/index.en.html |url-status=live |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=Tails}}</ref> This has compromised many users privacy and trust for profit. While there are many alternatives to Balena Etcher they tend to be a bit less user friendly and likely are not cross platform.{{Placeholder box|Overview of concerns that arise from the company's conduct regarding (if applicable):

Recently as of late Balena has found itself in hot water over gathering specific user telemetry on their software [https://etcher.balena.io/ Balena Etcher] without consent.<ref>{{Cite web |first=sneak |date=2018-02-18 |title=etcher spies on the user without consent · Issue #2057 · balena-io/etcher |url=https://github.com/balena-io/etcher/issues/2057 |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=Github Issues}}</ref> Specific information includes usb device info and the filename to allegedly sell to their 3rd party AD network partners.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-19 |title=Tails - Replacing balenaEtcher with Rufus as installer for Windows |url=https://tails.net/news/rufus/index.en.html |url-status=live |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=Tails}}</ref> This has compromised many users privacy and trust for profit. While there are many alternatives to Balena Etcher they tend to be a bit less user friendly and likely are not cross platform. Making them the de-facto choice among non tech literate users that are being taken advantage of. {{Placeholder box|Overview of concerns that arise from the company's conduct regarding (if applicable):

* User freedom

* User privacy

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 ==Consumer-impact summary==
-Recently as of late Balena has found itself in hot water over gathering specific user telemetry on their software Balena Etcher without consent.<ref>{{Cite web |first=sneak |date=2018-02-18 |title=etcher spies on the user without consent · Issue #2057 · balena-io/etcher |url=https://github.com/balena-io/etcher/issues/2057 |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=Github Issues}}</ref> Specific information includes usb device info and the filename to possibly sell to their 3rd party AD network partners.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-19 |title=Tails - Replacing balenaEtcher with Rufus as installer for Windows |url=https://tails.net/news/rufus/index.en.html |url-status=live |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=Tails}}</ref> This has compromised many users privacy and trust for profit. While there are many alternatives to Balena Etcher they tend to be a bit less user friendly and likely are not cross platform.{{Placeholder box|Overview of concerns that arise from the company's conduct regarding (if applicable):
+Recently as of late Balena has found itself in hot water over gathering specific user telemetry on their software [https://etcher.balena.io/ Balena Etcher] without consent.<ref>{{Cite web |first=sneak |date=2018-02-18 |title=etcher spies on the user without consent · Issue #2057 · balena-io/etcher |url=https://github.com/balena-io/etcher/issues/2057 |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=Github Issues}}</ref> Specific information includes usb device info and the filename to allegedly sell to their 3rd party AD network partners.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-19 |title=Tails - Replacing balenaEtcher with Rufus as installer for Windows |url=https://tails.net/news/rufus/index.en.html |url-status=live |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=Tails}}</ref> This has compromised many users privacy and trust for profit. While there are many alternatives to Balena Etcher they tend to be a bit less user friendly and likely are not cross platform. Making them the de-facto choice among non tech literate users that are being taken advantage of. {{Placeholder box|Overview of concerns that arise from the company's conduct regarding (if applicable):
 * User freedom
 * User privacy