[MW Forums]

A new feature called Dashboard Advisory periodically phones home to Apple's servers, which has some users upset about their privacy. more

[DerekDenton]

Jim, thanks for not only posting the news item, but also the solution. It's an extra touch that's much appreciated.

[jmincey]

Someone over at Apple is utterly brain dead. Over this heinous, burning issue of keeping our precious widgets absolutely current with the latest version, Apple is willing to engage in covert network activity with our computers and suffer all the PR consequences that invariably stems therefrom.
Hey, Apple, how about an "Update Widgets" function which users could optionally select? Didn't think of that, eh?
Better yet, why not just build this into "Software Update" itself and users can elect to have this run automatically (at certain intervals of time) or manually?
Why this supposed urgency over a bunch of stupid widgets? I just don't accept that this necessitates a whole new updating scheme or that it's more crucial than security updates which ARE done with the user's knowledge and control.
Or to put it another way, how is it that security updates are not urgent enough as to require on-the-spot updates without the knowledge of the user but widgets ARE urgent enough for this?
I'm just not buying this widget rationale. Oh, don't get me wrong; I'm sure that for the moment this is the use for the phone home mechanism; but until I hear some remotely plausible reason for Apple's taking this covert network approach, I consider this a precursor to (or trial balloon for) something else of greater consequence.

[MacGeek1955]

I saw someone post about Apple Genuine Advantage a couple of weeks ago and thought it was a joke. I've been blocking it with Little Snitch since the update just like I do Adobe and Stuffit and any other app that phones home, but I'm glad to see we can disable this unwanted OS feature. javascript:void(0)

[Maclectic]

I have to agree with Jeff Mincey that keeping widgets up to date seems to be like a strange reason to allow covert network information upload.
Apple would have been smart to make it optional or at least clearly describe the kind of data being uploaded. Most likely a clever engineer will figure out the info that is being uploaded (which I can almost guarantee is more than Apple says) and they'll have to do a mea culpa as well as getting sued.
Apple may make a superior product in many aspects, but they are just as vulnerable to stupid marketing ideas as any company.

- Maclectic

[HumanJHawkins]

Jim and Macworld,
This article really gives the wrong impression about this feature. While it is frankly silly that Apple is doing this over widgets, this is not even close to what Windows Genuine Advantage does. I would think you should be writing an article to help dispell unwarranted fears over this, rather than whipping them up.
Apple's Widget thing:
- Transfers no personal info
- transfers nothing that could let Apple identify you
- Doesn't get in the way of anything (like other software updates)
- Actually serves a purpose in the user's interest
Windows WGA:
- Identifies your computer and geographic regeon
- Blocks access to critical security updates if it finds true or imaginary violations of copyright.
- Blocks access to critical updates if it is not accepted by users and installed
- Is being used to go after people who it identifies as copyright violators.
- Exists and requires user time and action with ZERO benefit to the user (it's only purpose is to enforce MS copyrights)

[donikatz]

FYI-- WGA does NOT block critical security updates. WUS will automatically download all critical updates, just not through the website. nice try, though.

[the_13th_saint]

code:
 sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.dashboard.advisory.fetch.plist

  

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courtesy of:
http://pp.hillrippers.ch/
this works as well by keeping it from launching / checking every 8 hours.
realistically, it appears that Apple's intention for this was to alert the user if there was a malicious dashboard widget installed and check to see if there are any updated widgets available without sending any information to apple. I think they are aware of the capabilities of a malicious widget and were trying to set up something where they could disable one if need be.
Granted, I would have preferred if there was some notification or documentation or if simply respected our settings for software update to only check when we want it to, etc.
-13th

[tabasco_hot]

I don't see what the fuss is about. I noticed the widget call, but gave it no mind. I pretty much new what it was, and I may be stupid, but I trust Apple not to go prying into what is my business.

[HumanJHawkins]

In reply to:

---

WGA does NOT block critical security updates. WUS will automatically download all critical updates, just not through the website.

---

If this is true, great. But I am not sure it is. I think it just tells you that it has downloaded everything available because it doesn't see anything released after a WGA update as available until you let WGA run.
In any event, I went to microsoftupdate.microsoft.com and it offered to go look for updates. Then it came back and told me that there weren't any. But if I allow WGA to do it's thing and tell it to look again, there are suddenly a dozen critical and two dozen non-critical updates available.
If this isn't the definition of blocking updates until you let it run, I don't know what is.
But the point was, that to say what apple is doing is even in the same ballpark as what MS does is a little like saying that a candy store is in the same league as a crack dealer because both products are bad for you. It doesn't hold water.

[OM_user]

I have to admit that it IS kind of odd for Apple to implement a 'phone home' feature over something like Widgets. Either this feature is doing more than just checking on widgets, or Apple is not telling us about some real threat concerning rogue widgets. because, last time I checked, I've not heard of any danger of installing widgets that will do some harm to my Mac. So what's the real story here?
I'm not willing to go so far as to accuse Apple of collecting personal information from our Macs (I'm still willing to give them the benefit of the doubt here) but I just don't get why widget security would necessitate this kind of action on their part. It just seems odd.
And I wish to god Apple would hire someone with their finger on the pulse of the computer using population out there to actually think these things through before deploying them. This just seems like a disasterous PR blunder in the making (once again) on their part.

[alphanoir]

It doesn't really matter.
Somehow, in the grand scheme of people's minds, this widget is more important than the total strangers you give your credit cards to, your social security number to, your checks from your bank account to, you share your gossip publicly with on cell phones, and the hundred other little pieces of personal inforamtion you hand out on an everyday basis. On basic trust, you let people handle your affairs without ever knowing what's really going on. As a good friend of mine once said (while sitting in a cell of course), "People aren't as smart as they think they are. And it's the intelligent folks like me that can take advantage of it. Sure, a lot of us aren't good at it. But at LEAST we can SEE the sheep. It's you guys that can't see the wolves....."

[iSunfish]

Thanks for posting this, Jim. I agree with jmincey--Apple must be brain dead to be putting in phone-home "features," no matter how well intentioned or innoccuous, without full disclosure at the time of release. I don't care how innocent it is--IMO it's aimed at getting us used to the idea of our software checking with the mother ship before it runs.
I'm glad I waited to upgrade to 10.4.7. I won't be upgrading to that release until 10.4.8 fixes that "feature."
2

[ladyuser101]

J-man, I want to commend your opinions and writing in this section. They are very thought provoking (and even emotion provoking). I'm glad I found what you are doing here. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
That said, though, I almost never agree with your position. We have philosophical and practical differences. Please don't take offense. I sometimes don't agree with my own positions. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif I do appreciate your contributions however. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
I found some common ground with you on the widget-update calling home issue. I don't think Apple played nice with its customers to include a non-revealed, non-option feature in an update. I find the practice intrusive. We are all connected together in community and should respect each other's boundries - intellectual, emotional, and personal as well as through hardware/software integrity. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Let me encourage you to continue to speak up on this issue. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
BTW, I've finalized plans to be in your area in two weeks. I've made my car reservation with National and my hotel reservation with The Saint Paul. I'm looking forward to time in your world famous coffee shops and browsing in an antique book store there (Loome's). /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif