MacOS X also phones home too
This post was published 3 years 4 months 19 days ago and its content may not be valid anymore.
It was reported that Windows Genuine Advantage is not the only piece of software that phones home to check in. Mac OS X 10.4.7 uses a new Dashboard process called dashboardadvisoryd that pings Apple.
This was discovered using Little Snitch, an app that monitors network traffic on your Mac (which I have loved for a LONG time).
Wired has reported a method to turn this ping home off. Launch a window and enter:
sudo mv /etc/mach_init.d/dashboardadvisoryd.plist /etc/mach_init.d/
dashboardadvisoryd.plist.disabled
And then reboot. It’s out of your hair.
Oh no! So apple is doing it too!
Is it bad to not want people to steal your software?
All it does according to apple is check that your widgets are up to date which is probably a good thing. ( thats of course if they are not checking registration info at the same time )
No, it’s not bad for not wanting stolen software, but it is bad to spy on someone’s computer without their knowledge. At least in my world anyway…
Not giving the user a choice whether or not they want a “feature” like this enabled on their PCs is a total Microsoft move. Shame on Apple!
I don’t believe that they would be checking registration info, because the OS doesn’t have to be registered, i.e. you can skip the setup assistant.
The only things That Apple currently has their apps talk back about is iWork, Aperture, Final Cut Studio, Logic Pro, Final Cut Express, Logic Express, AppleWorks, WebObjects, Apple Remote Desktop, FileMaker, and other Apple Products that need serial keys. (Oh, and .Mac but that’s to be expected LOLOLOL)
*Remembered that Logic Pro is Dongle based, not serial key based. Scratch that lol*
Many applications automatically check for updates, not just the OS.