Add docs explaining how to opt-out from data collection

[xuhcc]

There should be a way to disable analytics, but I can't find it in the documentation. I guess users have to add analytics: {enabled: false}} to their buidler config?

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Though I'd recommend DNS blocking as a more robust solution. The server to which data is being sent is o385026.ingest.sentry.io (source: https://github.com/nomiclabs/buidler/blob/buidler-core-v1.4.4/packages/buidler-core/src/internal/sentry/reporter.ts#L13)

[alcuadrado]

That's right @xuhcc, {analytics: {enabled:false}} disables it. We'll make it clear in the documentation.

We'll also make clear what we are sending to the servers. That is:

• A random unique identifier per user.
• A google analytics hit that includes your os, node version, builder version, and the task you are running (custom task names are all replaced with something like "custom-task").
  • This data is collected to better understand how many users we have, which versions and os they are running, and it barely gives info about how you use Buidler.
• Anonymized errors coming from Buidler (i.e. not from the users' code) are sent to Sentry.
  • The goal of this is to help us debug remote issues and prioritize what to fix first.

Let us know If you have further questions.

[xuhcc]

A google analytics hit that includes your os, node version, builder version, and the task you are running (custom task names are all replaced with something like "custom-task").

Oh, so there's another tracker?

Worth noting that IP address of a user also becomes known to data collecting services.

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For others who are reading this thread: data is being sent to www.google-analytics.com (source: https://github.com/nomiclabs/buidler/blob/buidler-core-v1.4.4/packages/buidler-core/src/internal/cli/analytics.ts#L40)

[alcuadrado]

Oh, so there's another tracker?

Sentry for errors, google analytics for users. Both can be disabled with the same setting.

Worth noting that IP address of a user also becomes known to data collecting services.

That's a good point. We'll also document that!

[xuhcc]

{analytics: {enabled:false}} disables it. We'll make it clear in the documentation. We'll also make clear what we are sending to the servers. That is:

Hardhat now asks user for consent, that's a good move. But it seems that documentation has not been updated.

[alcuadrado]

That setting doesn't exist anymore in the project config. It's now a global per-user setting that defaults to false.

[xuhcc]

I know, but you also expressed intent to document what data is being collected. It is not particularly important though because the analytics are opt-in now, so feel free to close this issue.

[alcuadrado]

Oh, sorry. I thought you were referring to the first part of the comment. We'll make that clear in the docs.

[CodeSandwich]

That setting doesn't exist anymore in the project config. It's now a global per-user setting that defaults to false.

~What's the global per-user settings and how can I configure it?~ It's the telemetry-consent.json file hidden deep in local configuration.

I've looked into the code and the telemetry is offered to the user only when:

• The user hasn't accepted or declined it before
• The command isn't a help command
• No well known CI environment is detected
• The output is a TTY

When the telemetry isn't offered, it's disabled by default.

[nevrending]

It's the telemetry-consent.json file hidden deep in local configuration.

In case anyone is looking for it, on macOS it's located in ~/Library/Preferences/hardhat-nodejs/telemetry-consent.json

[OhadBaehr]

How do you disable global telemetry?

[alcuadrado]

Run npx hardhat --verbose, and you are gonna see a log like this

  hardhat:core:global-dir Looking up Client Id at /Users/pato/Library/Application Support/hardhat-nodejs/analytics.json +0ms

Delete that folder.