Why does fusion connect to so many external web services?

[djon_3V3]

Hi there.

I am generally trying to understand what and where the data i generate goes to. I thus use tracing and blocking app to manage my network connections and ensure i do not get overly tracked.

Fusion connects to:

- googletagmanager

- launchdarkly.net

- demdex.net

- cloudfront.net

- tiqcdn.com

- 6sc.co

- pndsn.com

- doubleclick.net (are you planning for adverts?)

- google-analytics

- and i think one or two others i forgot.

That makes a lot and some names really do not shine.

I did a quick check for a list of what is shared with each and what they are for, but yet had to find anything.

Can someone point me to such a list?

Thanks, have a nice day.

[HughesTooling]

Did you find this in Preferences?

[djon_3V3]

Hi @HughesTooling 

Yes, however...

Everything is deselected. Services ought not to be contacted, which is my first problem with that stuff.

Second problem is that the description in https://www.autodesk.com/company/autodesk-analytics is pretty vague. Worst part of the list is where it is stated that any action we take in the software, any function called, is logged. Why not streaming my desktop, while we are at it? Be bold..

[HughesTooling]

@Phil.E  Can you help with this?

Thanks Mark

[djon_3V3]

That said, the pages at autodesk do not answer my questions, which are:

- what are those tools for ?

- what do each extract from my activity ?

Throwing away a vague list of things they might or might not do generally is not enough.

[lance.carocci]

@djon_3V3, you might find this discussion of interest from the last time a user inquired about these domains.

I can try to shed light on this from an engineering and marketing perspective, though I am not personally involved with every traffic call to say for certain. First and foremost it likely depends on your specific workflow and the types of commands you interact with, especially those embedding external resources. Broadly speaking, Fusion 360 contains embedded browsers that load webpages like you would in your desktop browser. These are used to punch out to sites like Fusion Team, McMaster-Carr, or simply Autodesk.com. Any one of these pages could contain these trackers even if Fusion 360 itself did not.

That said, Fusion 360 has non-identifying analytics of its own, should you opt into it, which tell us things like how many folks opened the Extensions window and bought something? or How many people are still on Windows 7? We also have trial and free users who, I speculate, might see some interest-based ads around the web related to us after trying our product, which might explain sites like doubleclick.net.

With the privacy settings within Preferences, you have taken the correct steps to limit this functionality in-app; the next step would be trying to associate these network calls with specific actions in-app to try and see if any commands have mistakenly ignored these options, or if they originate from outside of Fusion 360. If you find anything unexpected, don't hesitate to reach out.

[djon_3V3]

Hi @lance.carocci 

Thanks for the open mind approach on this. It is becoming pretty important for users and even legally, to manage this correctly.

On the side of things that might not have to try to stream data when opted out of everything is LaunchDarkly. It constantly tries to send data, about every 10 seconds for as long as the app runs.

Googletagmanager and googlestats are contacted immediately when app starts, but seem to stay silent after that. It does this every start, no sure it is intended but it looks wrong to me.

Not sure about when i had doubleclick. I use no plugin or addition of any sort. I will check a bit more closely.

Have a great day.

[djon_3V3]

Hi again @lance.carocci .

Here is an example of what bothers me. I am not logged in, application just started... look at the number of web services that got contacted.

I would love to help you in finding what does this. If there is anything i can do to help you track that down, just send requests and i'll do my best to help.

[djon_3V3]

hi  @lance.carocci 

I am not a lawyer, but i like the technical side of compliance and analysis of how to get there. This is not a rant or a disapproval but a technical question.

Thinking about all the included services and elements you provide by embedding webpages. As far as i have seen, none requested for my consent in tracking or anything of the sort. It might be because i did not really cross that line, but let's imagine that the doubleclick is caused by a third party i installed/used. 

Technically, would you be in jeopardy for giving the possibility to third parties to include trackers without consent, or is it still the third party responsible for not being able to ask for it? Or maybe we are in a sort of grey area?

Have a great day.

[lance.carocci]

@djon_3V3 these are all fantastic questions that I have passed along to folks in-the-know. I cannot guarantee a direct response to these inquiries, but it's always good for us to check our work and fix any shortcomings we find.

[djon_3V3]

Hi @lance.carocci 

I have something on the "embedded plugin and things that are out of our control" side of your argument.

I had a problem that "forced" me to start screencast. When i tried to upload the movie, here is the list of services that got contacted.

As far as i have seen, screencast has no plugin or external pages that can be called. How comes doubleclick is there if not from your code?

Thanks, have a nice day.

[djon_3V3]

By the way, last time i used it, id dit not connect to this numerous domains, i guess there was an update somewhere.

I opted out of everything in the application, but can not opt out or give any consent in screencast.

I do find this very very wrong for many reasons:

- having opted out, none of those domains ought to be contacted.

- not being able to opt out is concerning

- not being told that i might have something to care about is, also.

- seeing a constant increase in domains asking for connection in littlesnitch, each time the application updates worries me a lot too.

What the hell is going on at autodesk? 

[lance.carocci]

@djon_3V3, those questions might get a better response in the Screencast forum - Fusion 360 is developed separately from the Screencast utility.

[djon_3V3]

Hi @lance.carocci 

I showed the screencast situation, not to try to clarify what happens with it, but to illustrate that one of your argument with the webservices that get contacted.. might pretty well be flawed.

If screencast also contacts the same websites than fusion; if screencast has no plugin/third party annoyance; then it is pretty possible that those third parties are not the source of the traffic.

I opted out all tracking and reporting. Still the application keeps on contacting those services, maybe exchanging data. If it does it is without my consent. If it was not clear enough already, let me rephrase.. I do not want to be tracked, profiled. I do not want my habits, work, projects to become part of any behavior database. Autodesk asked for me to choose if i wanted to and i said no.

Let it be fusion or any other, as it seems that there is a  common component running around. 

Why is autodesk still contacting those services and what does it send? Come clean.

[djon_3V3]

Is that crickets that i hear?