Isn't it illegal to collect data without our consent? I always thought it is, because it should be..

Or is this "feature" mentioned in those long texts noone ever reads but accepts, fooling people into this?

It is a bit worrying they are watching us, aren't the government and spy agencies enough?

Aaaand now you know one way through which the government does it.

When you install the software, you have to agree with the EULA, or it won't install or might install a lower feature version of the software than what you thought you were getting.

Therefore, READ.

I've been without a AV program for months now, I use a on-demand AV solution that does not phone home. Good thing I do.

Just because you use an on-demand solution that claims it doesn't 'phone home' doesn't mean there is no data collection/transmission of any kind going on.

For instance just by visiting a website/forum you have transmitted your browser, its version information etc., your OS, its version and patch-level for certain frameworks such as .NET, Java, Flash etc. and other system identification information.  This type of information is transmitted without your explicit consent to any/all websites one actively visits and even those contacted in the background by addons and/or security software seeking to update definitions or on-demand scanners etc. using cloud definitions to identify and root out threats.

There is no way to connect to something residing on the internet these days without offering up such information (which can be used to identify individual systems and/or users).

And why should I care about all of that info being transmitted? I have nothing to hide. And how do they know it's me using the net and not one of the other people living in the house?

The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.

Someone said that.

Your IP? Everything about your machine, the hashes of the files you transmit...and who knows, maybe more. You care, kona. Thake a look at the table I posted and the article (pdf).

Let's see here. Nope, I really don't care. I don't have a bank account, and visit the same 5 or 6 sites everyday. I have nothing to hide. Don't care who knows what Windows version I am using or my machine specs. So yeah, I don't care.

And even if I had anything to hide, no one can prove it's me physically using the machine and not someone else.

Everyone seems to expect a free and open internet as well as personal privacy. These two concepts are mutually exclusive!

well...you can do a lot better than the existing situation.

I recommend you read this. In fact, I recommend you all read this:

http://www.tor.com/blogs/2014/05/you-are-not-a-digital-native-privacy-in-the-age-of-the-internet

Yeah, I get it. There is no such thing as true privacy on the internet. I'm simply telling you I don't care because I have nothing to hide, and nothing to steal.

Thinking is hard, why do it?

They don't have to know who is using it. Your IP tells them everything, including where you live. Plus......they can ID the machine and who it is registered too. So......what's your point.

Uvah, I believe kona meant, "How do they know it's me or someone else using my machine?".

What kona perhaps didn't is that an unscrupulous vendor could use that data against him...or sell it to someone who would or even be hacked and have that data stolen.

The point is that they vacuum your computer and do who knows what to ensure the security of the data they obtain.