Dear Debian community,
I want to start by thanking you all for the incredible work you put into making Debian such a reliable and empowering system. Your commitment to open-source values and user freedom is something I deeply appreciate, and it’s because of your efforts that
so many of us can enjoy a platform we truly trust. With that spirit in mind, I’d like to share some observations and suggestions about a small but surprising detail I’ve come across.
On Debian 12 (fully updated as of March 15, 2025) with GNOME 43.9, I’ve noticed that the "Automatic Problem Reporting" option under "Diagnostics" in the GNOME Settings window (gnome-control-center) isn’t displayed in the main "Privacy" section. It
only appears when explicitly searched for using the search bar. By default, it’s set to "On," which suggests automatic data reporting is enabled without clear user consent during installation. I confirmed this by opening GNOME Settings, checking the "
Privacy" section (where it’s absent), and searching "diagnostics" to locate it—always enabled out of the box.
I’ve tested this across multiple Debian 12 systems with GNOME 43.9, all fully updated as of March 15, 2025, and the behavior is consistent: the setting remains hidden unless searched for and is active by default. This holds true on fresh Debian 12
GNOME installs as well. I suspect gnome-control-center is the package responsible, though it might tie into another GNOME component like gnome-shell—I’d appreciate clarification from maintainers.
I’d like to suggest the following:
Move "Automatic Problem Reporting" to the Privacy section where it’s easily visible, rather than requiring a search to find it.
Default it to "Off" unless the user explicitly opts in, aligning with Debian’s principles of transparency and user autonomy.
This setup feels misleading. During installation, I opted out of data collection when given the choice, so finding a hidden enabled setting afterward was unexpected and disappointing. I’d value input from maintainers on these questions:
Why is "Automatic Problem Reporting" tucked away and enabled by default?
What specific data does it collect, and where is it sent?
Could this be revised to better respect user consent?
Thank you for your work and for considering this feedback.
Kind regards,
Susanna
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<div>Dear Debian community,<br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div>I want to start by thanking you all for the incredible work you put into making Debian such a reliable and empowering system. Your commitment to open-source values and user freedom is
something I deeply appreciate, and it’s because of your efforts that so many of us can enjoy a platform we truly trust. With that spirit in mind, I’d like to share some observations and suggestions about a small but surprising detail I’ve come
across.<br></div><div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">On Debian 12 (fully updated as of March 15, 2025) with GNOME 43.9, I’ve noticed that the "Automatic Problem Reporting" option under "Diagnostics" in the GNOME Settings window (gnome-
control-center) isn’t displayed in the main "Privacy" section. It only appears when explicitly searched for using the search bar. By default, it’s set to "On," which suggests automatic data reporting is enabled without clear user consent during
installation. I confirmed this by opening GNOME Settings, checking the "Privacy" section (where it’s absent), and searching "diagnostics" to locate it—always enabled out of the box.<br></div><p style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">I’ve tested
this across multiple Debian 12 systems with GNOME 43.9, all fully updated as of March 15, 2025, and the behavior is consistent: the setting remains hidden unless searched for and is active by default. This holds true on fresh Debian 12 GNOME installs as
well. I suspect gnome-control-center is the package responsible, though it might tie into another GNOME component like gnome-shell—I’d appreciate clarification from maintainers.<br></p><p style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">I’d like to suggest
the following:<br></p><ol class=""><li class="">Move "Automatic Problem Reporting" to the Privacy section where it’s easily visible, rather than requiring a search to find it.<br></li><li class="">Default it to "Off" unless the user explicitly opts in,
aligning with Debian’s principles of transparency and user autonomy.<br></li></ol><p style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">This setup feels misleading. During installation, I opted out of data collection when given the choice, so finding a hidden
enabled setting afterward was unexpected and disappointing. I’d value input from maintainers on these questions:<br></p><ul class=""><li class="">Why is "Automatic Problem Reporting" tucked away and enabled by default?<br></li><li class="">What
specific data does it collect, and where is it sent?<br></li><li class="">Could this be revised to better respect user consent?<br></li></ul><p style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class=""></p><div dir="auto">Thank you for your work and for considering this
feedback.<br></div><div dir="auto"> Kind regards,<br></div><div dir="auto"> Susanna<br></div><p></p></div><div dir="auto"><br></div> </body>
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