Manjaro Linux prepares to enable telemetry by default

Telemetry proposal and current status

• Thread discusses Manjaro’s plan to introduce a telemetry system (“data donor”), initially seemingly default-on but later walked back toward building infrastructure first and considering opt-in, possibly via installer/welcome screen.
• Some liken it to Debian’s opt-in popularity-contest style telemetry.
• A number of commenters predict user backlash and even suggest the project might not survive default-on telemetry.

Opt‑in vs opt‑out and legal / consent issues

• Strong consensus that telemetry should be explicit opt‑in, not opt‑out.
• Multiple comments cite GDPR and South American data protection laws:
  • Default-on or consent-as-condition-of-use is described as likely illegal.
  • Consent must be “freely given”; “build it yourself if you don’t consent” or “click yes or quit installer” is argued to violate this.
• IP addresses are repeatedly noted as personally identifiable information under EU law.
• Some argue a “legitimate interest” basis might be easier to justify than coercive consent flows, but this is debated and marked as legally murky.

Privacy scope and data collected

• Many see connectivity pings (like ping.manjaro.org via NetworkManager) as low-grade telemetry; others are uncomfortable that this appears enabled by default.
• Concern that package lists and detailed system configuration are highly identifying; commenters suggest limiting data to coarse stats (e.g., CPU/GPU, kernel version) if the goal is just user counting.

Utility and ethics of telemetry

• One camp: projects “need to know” how software is used to improve UX, find performance issues, and justify funding or investment.
• Opposing camp: software was built before always‑on telemetry; user rights and privacy should trump data hunger. Some explicitly prefer to know as little as possible about users.
• Several note that opt‑in data is biased and often statistically weak; others respond that if useful stats require violating privacy, they should be forgone.

Technical ideas for counting users

• Suggestions include:
  • Counting unique IPs that fetch a special core package per release.
  • Generating anonymized IDs from filesystem metadata (e.g., root birth time, fstab hash).
  • Submitting via Tor and displaying a plain‑text preview of payload for user review.
• These are criticized as approximate (NAT, dynamic IPs, containers) but seen as better than heavy profiling.

Manjaro’s stability, trust, and alternatives

• Many commenters view Manjaro as unstable or “messy,” citing multiple broken installs and slow performance.
• Perception that Manjaro’s “vetted” rolling model hasn’t delivered reliability; some suspect telemetry is partly to show scale to sponsors/investors.
• Several recommend switching to Debian, Arch, EndeavourOS, or other Arch‑based derivatives; EndeavourOS is repeatedly suggested as “easy Arch” without Manjaro’s layering and delays.
• A minority report good experiences with Manjaro and value its easier install compared to vanilla Arch, but even some of them express new doubts because of telemetry plans.