Google Analytics usage - Githubissues

While browsing through the QuiteRSS source code, I stumbled upon the 3rdparty/ganalytics/ folder and found QuiteRSS sending some tracking data to Google Analytics. I'm curious about the reasons for this. While I would prefer software without user tracking, you probably have some reasons why you want to keep it (since otherwise it probably wouldn't have been implemented). However in this case it should be clearly documented and the user asked for permission before sending data. Currently there's only an option at Tools -> Options -> General -> Help improve QuiteRSS by sending usage information. This option can only be switched off after the first data has been sent (and once the user searches through the program's settings). What data is sent is undocumented. I shall note down here what I found (current master branch as of commit 22478633):

Google Analytics usage is implemented in 3rdparty/ganalytics/ganalytics.h. The functions are called from src/application/mainapplication.cpp and src/application/mainwindow.cpp. Data is sent ...

on application start
shortly thereafter when the main window appears
on application exit

Data sent includes:

IP address (implicitly)
a unique user ID created by QuiteRSS
screen resolution
language setting (e.g. "en-us")
QuiteRSS version number
Qt version number (within the HTTP User-Agent header)
operating system (e.g. "X11; Linux x86_64"; within the HTTP User-Agent header)
type of event (start, main window or end)
some other data like e.g. a static tracking ID ("UA-99877778-1" for all QuiteRSS versions) telling Google Analytics what program this data is coming from

Data is sent unencrypted via HTTP (not HTTPS) and thus is readable for all hosts between the QuiteRSS user and Google Analytics.

Google can correlate this data with other data they collect. For example they could match the start and exit of QuiteRSS (which may also roughly be the computer's boot and shutdown times if QuiteRSS is autostarted) with data that could further identify the user when they visit a website that uses Google Analytics (like many do). Matching both data sets would be possible by e.g. IP address, screen resolution, language and operating system. (In many cases even a subset of these could be enough.)

The tracking data sent is rather limited compared to what some other (esp. proprietary) applications or many websites do. I'm a bit stunned anyhow, since I didn't expect this in an open source RSS reader at all, without being documented and without the user being asked for permission beforehand. It might also be legally required to document this in some kind of privacy policy (though I am not a lawyer).

QuiteRSS / quiterss

Google Analytics usage #1473