The benefits of using open source software is that because it is open source, it allows the community to take a peek under the hood. This lets users create forked versions of the software, but it also allows users to understand how the software works and point out and identify issues with it.
Such is the case with Audacity, one of the most popular free and open source audio editing software out there, which has recently come under fire after it was discovered that the app has been collecting data on its users, with the report from Fosspost going as far as calling it a piece of spyware.
This is according to online support documents updated early last month on how the app can now collect data on users, especially those on Mac. This includes data like OS version, the user’s country, IP address, and more. Audacity is currently owned by the Muse Group, the same company behind other music and audio services like Ultimate Guitar, MuseScore, and Tonebridge.
It is unclear if the company plans to address these privacy policy changes, but according to discussions made on Reddit and GitHub, users of the software are now discussing the possibility of creating a forked version of Audacity that will not collect data on users.
Filed in . Read more about Apps and Privacy. Source: appleinsider