Re: [boost] google-analytics and privacy

Subject: Re: [boost] google-analytics and privacy
From: Beman Dawes (bdawes_at_[hidden])
Date: 2009-04-26 16:03:41

On Sat, Apr 25, 2009 at 6:36 PM, Steve M. Robbins <steve_at_[hidden]> wrote:
> On Fri, Apr 24, 2009 at 10:55:42AM +0400, Vladimir Prus wrote:
>> Steve M. Robbins wrote:
>>
>> > On Thu, Apr 23, 2009 at 11:49:13PM -0500, Steve M. Robbins wrote:
>> >> > > Beman Dawes wrote:
>> >> > >> I've gotten badly sidetracked by non-Boost work, but would like to get
>> >> > >> the 1.39.0 beta out tomorrow if at all possible.
>> >> > >>
>> >> > >> Are there any known showstoppers?
>> >>
>> >> Many of the HTML doc files have
>> >>
>> >>   <script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
>> >>
>> >> in them.  Some will find it inappropriate [1,2] to track their reading
>> >> habits.  I imagine it might cause a problem for those who want to read
>> >> offline.
>> >>
>> >> Can the docs be re-generated before release without these scripts?
>> >
>> > Forgot to list the offending files:
>> >
>> >   libs/gil/doc (basically all of them)
>> >   tools/build/v2/index.html
>> >
>> > (this is true of both release and trunk)
>>
>> I am unsure that privacy concerns there are might be. I don't think Google
>> provides per-IP data at all, and even if they did, it's unclear why the
>> list of documentation pages read counts as minimally sensitive information.
>
> Certainly many people will not be bothered by this, but some will: I posted
> because I was asked to remove the script from Debian [1].
>
> A compromise is possible: remove the tracking from the source files,
> used in offline reading, but add it for docs located on the web
> site, as tools/build/v2/roll.sh appears to do.

It seems to me that it is a normal practice for a web site to track
usage of page visits and visitors. But I'm quite uncomfortable with
offline tracking. Thus I like your suggestion that a distinction be
made between the distribution package and the web site.

--Beman