I think the bad thing is not telemetry itself but the fact that it is silently enabled by default instead of asking the user whether they agree to it. Make it voluntary and there would be no problems at all. I didn't ask for this feature.
Also, one doesn't need telemetry to notice how notifications are abused on the web. You can just start a browser, visit top 1000 popular sites and count how many of them show the popup.
Also, it seems like everyone tries to abuse notifications. For example, Youtube app shows a notification when the channel you are subscribed to releases a new video. Is it so urgent, that you need to distract the user? They could show this information when the user opens the app.
> Make it voluntary and there would be no problems at all.
Unfortunately that would make the telemetry non-representative. That said, it is opt-in when possible, if you consider "using Nightly" as opt-in (it's clearly explained before and after installing Nightly).
> You can just start a browser, visit top 1000 popular sites and count how many of them show the popup.
That doesn't tell you anything about what behaviour led up to a permission request that got granted vs the 97% that got ignored. Furthermore, it wouldn't have told them that the notification request is denied far more often by users than the webcam/mic request.
> Also, it seems like everyone tries to abuse notifications. For example, Youtube app shows a notification when the channel you are subscribed to releases a new video. Is it so urgent, that you need to distract the user? They could show this information when the user opens the app.
It would be nice to have data on when users revoke permissions again as well, indeed.
Have you used Firefox? A notification about telemetry is shown on-screen the first time you launch it, including a link (or maybe button, I forget) taking you to the settings page where it can be disabled.
If you're talking about telemetry collection in general, and not specifically Firefox, then nevermind.
I don't find telemetry bad in any way, provided that it is non-identifying telemetry, so I don't mind that it's on by default. There should always be an option to turn it off for those that want to.
Many, many more applications collect telemetry than people suspect, and for every application you know of that collects it, there are a dozen that collect it without telling you.
You are right about notifications being over used. We've all gotten notification fatigue, now, because every website thinks it's own notifications are super important. I want notifications when major news events happen, when my wife texts me, and for nothing else. I do not, and will not ever, care to be notified the instant a website has new content.
Also, one doesn't need telemetry to notice how notifications are abused on the web. You can just start a browser, visit top 1000 popular sites and count how many of them show the popup.
Also, it seems like everyone tries to abuse notifications. For example, Youtube app shows a notification when the channel you are subscribed to releases a new video. Is it so urgent, that you need to distract the user? They could show this information when the user opens the app.