Security News > 2020 > February > Wacom driver caught monitoring third-party software use

What requires more explanation is why Wacom think it's acceptable to record every time I open a new application, including the time, a string that presumably uniquely identifies me, and the application's name.

Heaton even uncovered a killswitch function that Wacom could use to remotely turn Google Analytics collection off and on.

It is possible to use the product without enabling the data collection by looking for the Wacom Experience Program setting in the Desktop Center software and unticking it - customers can opt-out if they want to.

A more general defence is that almost every software and hardware product in existence these days will have a similar feedback system, so it's not as if Wacom is unusual.

The application nosiness could also be something to do with understanding the sort of software Wacom customers use more generally, in order to draw anonymised marketing inferences about their expertise and interests.

News URL

https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2020/02/07/wacom-driver-caught-monitoring-third-party-software-use/