Intel's GPU Drivers Now Collect Telemetry, Including 'How You Use Your Computer' (extremetech.com) 44
An anonymous reader quotes a report from ExtremeTech: Intel has introduced a telemetry collection service by default in the latest beta driver for its Arc GPUs. You can opt out of it, but we all know most people just click "yes" to everything during a software installation. Intel's release notes for the drivers don't mention this change to how its drivers work, which is a curious omission. News of Intel adding telemetry collection to its drivers is a significant change to how its GPU drivers work. Intel has even given this new collation routine a cute name -- the Intel Computing Improvement Program. Gee, that sounds pretty wonderful. We want to improve our computing, so let's dive into the details briefly.
According to TechPowerUp, which discovered the change, Intel has created a landing page for the program that explains what is collected and what isn't. At a high level, it states, "This program uses information about your computer's performance to make product improvements that may benefit you in the future." Though that sounds innocuous, Intel provides a long list of the types of data it collects, many unrelated to your computer's performance. Those include the types of websites you visit, which Intel says are dumped into 30 categories and logged without URLs or information that identifies you, including how long and how often you visit certain types of sites. It also collects information on "how you use your computer" but offers no details. It will also identify "Other devices in your computing environment." Numerous performance-related data points are also captured, such as your CPU model, display resolution, how much memory you have, and, oddly, your laptop's average battery life. The good news is that Intel allows you to opt out of this program, which is not the case with Nvidia. According to TechPowerUp, they don't even ask for permission! As for AMD, they not only give you a choice to opt out but they also explain what data they're collecting.
According to TechPowerUp, which discovered the change, Intel has created a landing page for the program that explains what is collected and what isn't. At a high level, it states, "This program uses information about your computer's performance to make product improvements that may benefit you in the future." Though that sounds innocuous, Intel provides a long list of the types of data it collects, many unrelated to your computer's performance. Those include the types of websites you visit, which Intel says are dumped into 30 categories and logged without URLs or information that identifies you, including how long and how often you visit certain types of sites. It also collects information on "how you use your computer" but offers no details. It will also identify "Other devices in your computing environment." Numerous performance-related data points are also captured, such as your CPU model, display resolution, how much memory you have, and, oddly, your laptop's average battery life. The good news is that Intel allows you to opt out of this program, which is not the case with Nvidia. According to TechPowerUp, they don't even ask for permission! As for AMD, they not only give you a choice to opt out but they also explain what data they're collecting.
Opt Out ? (Score:2)
Is this a Windows only thing ? Or does this chip send Telemetry directly from the Chip via its driver ?.
If this keeps going on, we all here will be running old hardware :)
Re:Opt Out ? (Score:4, Informative)
Must be "opt-in" or it is illegal in the EU. Would not be the first criminal act by Intel though.
Re: (Score:2)
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Which is not legal either. But AMD does not have the Intel history of criminal behavior.
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We can play a game if you like.
You point out malfeasance on the part of Intel, and I'll do it on the part of AMD.
You can start with questionably not optimizing code on their compiler for compatible non-Intel parts...
I'll retort with falsely advertising Bulldozer parts core counts.
Re:Opt Out ? (Score:4, Informative)
Geez, read the article. Literally says its part of the Windows 11 stuff.
But the way the headline reads it's like only Intel does this. ALL GPU DRIVERS report on you on Windows 11 and hell nVidia was doing it [slashdot.org] long before Win11 made it popular. So. I think everyone needs to revisit this. [slashdot.org]
If this keeps going on, we all here will be running old hardware :)
Just get off Windows if you value privacy. If your need to have XYZ software that's Windows only overrides your need for privacy, well then that's on you at this point. But if you're able, just ditch Windows, it's spyware at this point.
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it's spyware at this point.
Well supported and capable spyware. Look I get the general idea, but if you're going to sell alternatives to Windows you're never going to do it with the spyware angle. Windows objectively does more and provides more to the user than just spying on them. And I remind you who the users are, idiots who cross post their TikToks onto Facebook.
No one cares about privacy. It is a dead concept.
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Look I get the general idea, but if you're going to sell alternatives to Windows you're never going to do it with the spyware angle
Look I'm not selling shit. People use what they want to use for all I care. Original person was bitching about privacy so pointing out that you'll get none of Windows 11 is less me saying "go get something better" and more "well what the fuck did you expect?"
Windows objectively does more and provides more to the user than just spying on them
And soda hits that sweet tooth and makes my sensation of thirst go away. Doesn't negate that drinking it by the liter is just begging for trouble down the road. Windows does a lot of shit of which spying on your ass is included. Whichever major thi
How is web activity data collected on Windows? (Score:3, Interesting)
Though that sounds innocuous, Intel provides a long list of the types of data it collects, many unrelated to your computer's performance. Those include the types of websites you visit, which Intel says are dumped into 30 categories and logged without URLs or information that identifies you, including how long and how often you visit certain types of sites.
How is website visit data like this collected on Windows --- Are they hooking into APIs used or provided by Chromium Edge? Or ones that are lower (like HTTP or networking) that would also be used by other browsers?
I wonder where this data is stored. Sounds like something that could be harvested by other programs.
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I don't think it's necessary to collect web data that way. JavaScript allows many ways for them to serialize daemons into your browser that do the reporting locally inside the JS VM. Of course, they could also do it entirely on their server side as well or a combination of both.
All GPUs phone home and have done so for a long time. They're too powerful to be used freely.
PSA (Score:5, Informative)
Ever since 2004 the only way you should be installing your nvidia drivers is as follows:
* Download the EXE
* Right click, 7zip, extract as zip
* Windows Key + X, Device Manager
* Expand display devices, Right click your GPU, go to properties, go to Install Driver
* Browse to the extracted folder
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just don't install the nvidia geforce experience part
Re: PSA (Score:2)
No, the only way you should be installing your Nvidia drivers is from a .run. Your way only works on an OS that spies on you way more than Intel OR Nvidia.
Re: PSA (Score:4, Funny)
Good thing it's the year of the Linux desktop, otherwise your advice would be myopic
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Last year was my first-year-back of the Linux desktop. I no longer run Windows on the metal on mine, only in qemu/kvm. I'm gaming using Wine and Proton, and if it doesn't run, to hell with it. In between I have had a separate Linux system, dual booted, or both.
My first year of the Linux desktop was 1994, when I ran Slackware 2.0 on a very used 386DX25 w/8MB DRAM and 120MB ATA. After that I had a 486SX, and then 4/260 with 24MB RAM. But that jacked up the power bill, so it had to go...
I didn't see fit to run
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Spotted the person who think "gaming" means playing the original Mortal Kombat. No kid, the latest kernel is not even remotely sufficient to have a modern game running on a system.
Oh goodie (Score:2)
Even more unsafe chips ripe for being abused. Can't wait for the security notices to fly forth about entire machines being taken over because someone figured out how root the telemetry part.
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It's not a server application (I hope), so the telemetry will just access Intel servers and post a bunch of data. Depending on how the data is encrypted and signed, someone could abuse this service by posting a flood of fake data.
It could be abused, as any piece of software, but I don't expect remote code execution on it. Maybe a local privilege escalation, an unsafe driver leading to code running as SYSTEM, things like that.
Re: Oh goodie (Score:2)
If history is any indication it will be possible to exploit this with a malicious image, possibly on a website, or maybe in a game mod or screensaver
Just one more step (Score:5, Insightful)
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Now the Windows home screen has ads, and the Search Menu has ads...
Don't opt out; FORK it out! (Score:1)
If they've put this into the 6.5 kernel, then let's all have a race to see who can remove all the offending code, while leaving the driver itself intact and fully functional.
Does anyone know who signed off on the pull request? I can't believe Linus would do that.
How I use my computer (Score:2)
ICIP (Score:2)
More like ICUP.
Or ... (Score:3)
This program uses information about your computer's performance to make product improvements that may benefit you in the future. ... It also collects information on "how you use your computer" but offers no details.
They're laying the groundwork for implementing subscriptions to use the cores in "your" GPU -- in general or for specific purposes on-demand -- like some companies do with server CPUs/cores.
N/A (Score:4, Insightful)
>"The good news is that Intel allows you to opt out of this program"
Or that you use Linux and none of this is applicable.
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Depends which distro you use. People tend to forget that most of the organizations that distribute "Linux" are commercial for-profit entities, and also collect telemetry data. Some organizations are open about it, some aren't. Some organizations have had issues where if you pot-out of telemetry or sponsorships, they "accidentally" opt you back in again.
There are no good guys -- just some that suck more or less than others.
What we really need is better tools to quarantine software and monitor exactly what
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I am using nvidia binary drivers on linux and I can't evidence of this happening. Usually telemetry features would be implemented in sort of "Control Center" software people using windows are keen to install with their new hardware. But there is no userland code running, only the kernel driver.
program "nvidia-settings" is the GUI to monitor power and tune the screen layout but it does not even use an icon tray, e.g. it's a software you run when you need it and close it when you finish, not a daemon. Also th
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> most of the organizations that distribute "Linux" are commercial for-profit entities, and also collect telemetry data
Use Debian.
Say yes or no to the Popularity Contest at install time.
If you actually need to call a third party for support you want them to know how your system is configured.
If it's a distro vendor you hired for support why wouldn't you use their package?
Information collected includes ... (Score:3)
Windows mostly painless universal privacy solution (Score:3)
Configure windows firewall to deny all outbound connections by default and explicitly whitelist applications you want to access the network using windows advanced firewall in group policy editor.
It is important to disable rule merging and only use firewall configuration in group policy editor so that windows and other software cannot screw with your configuration.
When rule merge is disabled normal advanced firewall configuration outside of the policy editor and associated API calls every piece of software under the sun uses to exempt itself are simply ignored in their entirety.
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Configure windows firewall to deny all outbound connections by default and explicitly whitelist applications you want to access the network using windows advanced firewall in group policy editor.
I'm not a computer architecture expert by any stretch so I could be talking nonsense here; but is there any way that IME could collect at least some of that data and use its 'Super SU' powers to bypass any and all OS-based network traffic restrictions?
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I'm not a computer architecture expert by any stretch so I could be talking nonsense here; but is there any way that IME could collect at least some of that data and use its 'Super SU' powers to bypass any and all OS-based network traffic restrictions?
Software with full access to the system I can only assume has the technical ability to bypass the firewall in a multitude of ways. Something like IME can probably do the same even while your computer is turned off. Without any hacking at all there no shortage of alternate channels for communicating without direct access. Calling default browser with URL containing exfiltrated data, custom DNS queries..etc.
I can only assume there would be substantial legal and political implications associated with levels
Re:Windows mostly painless universal privacy solut (Score:4, Insightful)
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Fuck Windows Firewall - I highly doubt Microsoft's own telemetry won't bypass it. Either don't use Windows or get a hardware firewall to keep Windows in its place.
I've profiled it for over a week and it was completely effective. Of course DNS filtering is also recommended regardless. IP filtering in the upstream router in my view has low returns and can cause collateral damage given prolific fronting of services thru forward proxy services / use of dynamic "cloud" infrastructure.
There is real world value in filtering by application that you just can't get by punting to an external firewall. While I think everyone understands the approach isn't foolproof it is in t
This shits has to stop (Score:3)
Extreme tech article is disgusting (Score:2)
"Also, although Intel's decision to add this feature to its drives may be disconcerting, it's par for the course these days, as we explained above. It's just a surprise it took Intel this long to adopt it. Windows 11 also transmits a lot of user data, though it can be challenging to pin down the exact details. "
Depressing to see grown men excuse / normalize behavior on the basis of who else is doing the same shit too. What an asshat.
"You can opt out of it" ... (Score:2)
And the cheque's in the mail, and I was stuck in traffic, and this won't hurt a bit, and on and on. I'm amazed that anyone trusts opt-out promises - it's like believing in Santa Claus.
We Would Not Tolerate this to Use a CPU (Score:2)