Disable iTunes 6.0.2's MiniStore

Jan 11, '06 07:25:00AM

Contributed by: robg

Major Update:

I have just received confirmation from Apple directly (from a confirmed source I trust implicitly) that absolutely no information is being collected from the MiniStore (though clearly data is sent to make the feature work). Therefore, the following article is now simply a hint about an obvious feature (disabling the MiniStore), which I wouldn't typically run. However, in the interest of not rewriting history to avoid my mistakes, I have not changed any of the original text, though I did change the hint's title, and move the rest of the story 'below the break.'

So I'll apologize for jumping to conclusions, but not for helping bring the issue to light. And thanks to Apple for clarifying that no data is collected; you didn't have to contact me directly, yet you did, and I appreciate that.

-rob.

Apple's iTunes 6.0.2 update, released yesterday, offered this, according to the Read Me:

iTunes 6.0.2 includes stability and performance improvements over iTunes 6.0.1.
What it also offered, but didn't bother to disclose, was the addition of a bit of spyware to the iTunes interface. As reported on boingboing and other sites, the new iTunes mini store, which appears directly below the song list area in the main iTunes window, spies on your listening habits. You are not told this is happening, but it's clear that it must be -- the store's selections change each time you listen to a new song. So at a minimum, artist and title information must be being sent to the music store, each and every time you listen to a new song. I don't know what other data may or may not be collected, but even just title and artist is enough to concern me.

Thankfully, there's an easy workaround. Kirk McElhearn used tcpdump to verify that if you simply disable the mini store (Edit: Hide Ministore, or just Shift-Command-M), then no data is transmitted. So that's the hint -- if you value the privacy of your listening habits, then hide the mini store.

This is the first thing Apple's done with iTunes and the store that's really struck me as going 'over the line.' In past iTunes releases, the store and your library were always distinct. Sure, you could click the link to jump from a song to the store, but there was no direct tie-in. But the mini store makes the tie-in direct, and since it's sending your listening habits without your explicit permission, it's clearly a feature that could be described as spyware. Thankfully, iTunes doesn't continue to send the data when the mini store is hidden, so I would recommend hiding it ASAP, at least until there's a better understanding of exactly what data's being collected, and how that data can be used by Apple. (I can't find anything about this data collection in iTunes, the Music Store itself, or Apple's website-centric privacy policy.)

Update: As noted in the comments, the store only updates when you select a song, not as playlists play. Sorry for any confusion...

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Mac OS X Hints
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20060111071001306