I think LibriVox should stop recommending Audacity for use with this project.
This is the new desktop app privacy policy: https://www.audacityteam.org/about/desktop-privacy-notice/
1. Audacity will track telemetry data
Audacity lists two reasons it tracks and stores data. The first reason is for the purpose of "Improving our App," and it includes:
Most of this is not identifiable information, per se. However, elsewhere in the policy it discloses that they will store your IP address for one day, and then store a hash of it for a year. That means that the things you do with Audacity will have a link back to you. Which is concerning and dangerous because the policy is NOT clear about the extent to which it will collude with cops.• OS version
• User country based on IP address
• OS name and version
• CPU
• Non-fatal error codes and messages (i.e. project failed to open)
• Crash reports in Breakpad MiniDump format
I should also say, point blank: this tracking is completely unnecessary for the development of Audacity. It has never been needed at any point in Audacity's history, and it is not now. They may intend to sell whatever data they harvest, within the bounds of whatever privacy law you happen to be covered by in your area.
2. Audacity will share your data with cops.
Audacity reserves the right for the software to track "Data necessary for law enforcement, litigation and authorities’ requests (if any)." It expands on this to say it may give data
In the best case scenario, it could be exclusively the telemetry data. There aren't any specific limits to this, though. To whatever extent Audacity is already tracking you, or is asked to track you, the information it gets from your computer will be discoverable by the cops.to any competent law enforcement body, regulatory, government agency, court or other third party where we believe disclosure is necessary (i) as a matter of applicable law or regulation, or (ii) to exercise, establish or defend our legal rights
3. Audacity may send your data to Russia.
I am not interested in baiting people with "Russia Scary." And, to be fair, the privacy policy states that the data will primarily be stored in the European Union, where it will be subject to privacy regulation including the GDPR.
Nonetheless, the policy reserves the right to send your data to the parent company's servers in Kaliningrad, Russia. That means that, by "law enforcement," it includes the Russian government. Of course, that's in addition to the European Union and the United States.
3. You must be at least 13-years-old to use Audacity.
Obviously, this is less serious overall, and there are not many readers who are so young. Nonetheless, the privacy policy (because it is illegal to track young kids) says
So any children who read for LibriVox would technically be required to use a different audio editor anyway, because anybody who uses Audacity must agree to the privacy policy's data tracking provisions.The App we provide is not intended for individuals below the age of 13. If you are under 13 years old, please do not use the App.