Audacity is at the receiving end of a lot of backlashes following its recent privacy policy update. Apparently, people are past the phase where they take privacy policies lightly and gone is the time when they clicked accept without even skimming through the terms. And seems like they aren’t too happy with the new terms of the open-source audio editor, Audacity which puts user privacy exposed to risk and fraud. The anger is all the more pronounced owing to the fact that user privacy has been a sensitive topic for quite some time. And Audacity’s audacity to meddle with something that sensitive has had the adverse effect.
The What, Why, and How
Audacity used to be a popular open-source audio editor. The past tense is used with due reason to emphasize the changed fate following the privacy policy update. People are now in a frenzy looking for better alternatives that will not put their privacy at risk. As per the updated terms, accepting the policy would allow Audacity to collect information like the computer’s OS name and version, user country, CPU, among many others. Even more concerning is the fact that the company has tried to hide behind rather hazy words concerning the kind of data that can be collected and shared with its state regulators. When clarity becomes scanty, the red flags of caution start appearing and if the company thought they could easily pass public scrutiny by relying on the possible lack of attention paid to the terms, they were utterly wrong.
The sudden change in the terms which brought down the wrath of users is due to the fact that Audacity has new people at the steering wheel. The company was acquired by Muse Group back in May. And clearly, the new terms are evidently the first wrong step from the new owners. Confidence and audacity are good. However, once it exceeds the limit, fault lines begin to appear. And from what’s evident, it might take a while for the company to straighten the creases and get the stain off their face.
But if you are still reminiscing over the past Audacity days, feeling that it is hard to let go, then worry not. There is apparently a way out of the maze. All you have to do to keep using the app without putting your privacy at risk is not update or reinstall the 2.4 version. Sometimes doing nothing helps to prevent the loss of everything. Let’s not get lost in the philosophical path for now.
Reactions On Twitter
If the company was trying to pull off an inconspicuous and smooth update, the opposite has been achieved. Ever since the faulty terms came to the attention of netizens, Twitter has been filled with a single name. The disappointment and anger are visible and it is quite justifiable. Here are a few reactions and responses from Twitter.
People are already a step ahead, thinking about better alternatives.
If you need a quick replacement for audacity you can try the open source Dark Audacity https://t.co/H7yfnlDQ3W
— Pat Stares At FREE COMPANY IN BIO (@PatStaresAt) July 4, 2021
!!! IF YOU HAVE AUDACITY, DO NOT UPDATE IT OR DOWNLOAD AN OLD VERSION OUTSIDE OF OFFICIAL SOURCES !!!! https://t.co/mwuBnbUX1m
— Fishorse • Little Suou takeover (@GentleFishorse) July 4, 2021
The audacity!!!!!
(sorry)
(For real this is very bad, hopefully there’s a good also free alternative out there)https://t.co/LMYiX5fBtw
— Megan Carnes (@magmacranes) July 4, 2021
You cannot get away with everything after all.
Very VERY upset to hear about Audacity’s new update which apparently is pretty much Spyware? Because I literally use it for everything and I DEFENDED YOU!!!!!! AGAINST ALL OTHER VO RELATED SLANDER!!!! Now you wanna listen to my sessions and collect my data bro?? All my NDA data?? pic.twitter.com/fwHQc0Fy6A
— zeno: the flame cane ? (@childishgamzeno) July 4, 2021
Audacity's new owners turned it into spyware and stores IPs which means the data is identifiable: https://t.co/vkaXRKTxgZ
— Enyo || Leaving the Hellsite (@EnyoFembycat) July 4, 2021
A heads-up for people who use Audacity: they are harvesting significantly more data now than they used to, having way WAY more invasive terms of service than before, restricting people from using it if they're 13, & also suggesting they may sell your data to govt/Pol agencies. https://t.co/516VUqiZZq
— Jan Aponte – janapontemuvo.bsky.social (@janapontemuvo) July 4, 2021
"the audacity of these bitches"
— AB, Blue Trash Cat (@oldtrashcat) July 4, 2021
https://twitter.com/cookiengineer/status/1411913168335650829?s=20
