Ubuntu Smart Scopes: an announcement that will make people talk

Recently, during the Ubuntu Developers Summitannounced the Smart Scopes, a «twist» to the lenses of Unity that will be talked about and that will come by default in the next version of Ubuntu Raring Ringtail and, as they say, will also come to Ubuntu TV, Phone and Tablet.

What is it?

The Ubuntu Smart Scopes project will mean a complexity of the Dash, which will make its debut in the next versions of Ubuntu. The idea is to turn Dash into a global search point, even more than it currently is. To do this, the results will be filtered "intelligently", showing only the most relevant ones. In other words, if we search for "aerosmith" only the results of the music scopes appear.

The results will be the fruit of both local and remote scopes (that is, online services such as Google, Amazon or any other). Likewise, one of the objectives of the project is to exponentially multiply the number of scopes, thus widening the search margins.

How It Works

As explained in the project wikiWhen a user searches for something in the Unity Dash, a request will be sent to a central server maintained by Canonical. The server will collect data such as the list of scopes installed, activated and deactivated, as well as the keyword and its IP address (which will be saved on the server but not in the Smart Scopes database).

The server will then choose the most relevant scopes for that search and / or keyword (that is, those that are more likely to return relevant results) and will return the list to the user, making only results from the selected scopes appear in the Unity Dash .

The server will also learn which scopes are most relevant for each search thanks to the registration of user clicks. Yes, when they click on one of the results, Unity will communicate to the central server to report which scope produced the most relevant result. This feedback is a fundamental part of how the new tool works, so it cannot be deactivated, at least not yet.

The information that is sent to the server as soon as you open the Dash consists of:

• Session ID
• Geographic information
• Ubuntu version and platform information
• List of scopes installed, activated and deactivated

Finally, some points to keep in mind about this new service:

• The server works with closed source software
• Scopes can be activated / deactivated to suit the user
• All Scopes are reported to the central server, no matter how they are installed
• All Scopes by default will be activated after the OS installation
• Searches can be made in a specific scope
• According to its managers, Ubuntu Smart Scopes will be safer, in terms of privacy, than using Google.

Critical aspects

Canonical obviously does not listen to its users / clients.

In Ubuntu 12.10, the incorporation of the Amazon scope to Dash generated to much critics, especially for violating the privacy of users since it was implemented as an opt-out alternative (that is, activated by default and that the user had to deactivate) instead of opt-in (if I like it, I activate it).

All of this was clearly part of Canonical's strategy to open up one more source of funding.

On this occasion, instead of correcting the error, it would seem that they are going for more and seeking to deepen it.

The criticisms of smart scopes:

• the text of the searches and other additional data are stored on Canonical's server
• user clicks on the different results are recorded on the server
• the server would work with proprietary software (wtf?)
• it is not known what security measures the server has
• although it can be disabled, it is an opt-out technology

Proponents of the project (read, Canonical's marketing agency it has become OMG! ubuntu and the developers themselves) argue:

• Each of the scopes can be disabled in a particular way.
• The information collected by Canonical's server is located Documented
• Only the IP remains (not the username or other "personal" data), and even then the IP will not be stored on Canonical's server but in the logs of the web servers. 
• They say that searches through smart scopes are going to be "more private" than through Google.
• There is the possibility of deactivating the smart scopes (opt-out).

Honestly, all of this strikes me as a shame. I don't hate Ubuntu, on the contrary. Even though I abandoned her many years ago, I am fond of her. However, I believe that Canonical is making more and more errors, apparently innocent and harmless but that go against the privacy of users and, above all, the philosophy of free software. Some see this as a minor issue, especially if it provides some kind of convenience (better searches, etc.). I do not think so.

Canonical seeks to justify this project, arguing that Google does the same ... or even worse. Also, like Google, they promise us better results for our searches. I wonder: is that enough? What will Richard Stallman say about all this? And you, what do you think? Has Canonical lost the shaft?

Source: Smart Scopes Wiki &Ubunlog