spyware is software that spies on other processes.
Usage data is a better name for what gets returned in most telemetry.
I would much rather genuine telemetry is supported so it can be reported in a way that doesn't allow a "you agree to this" hook to be used for both innocent telemetry and problematic telemetry.
Throwing your toys out the pram at any usage data going back is harmful not helpful. It will mean that the bad actors will win because they'll be the only ones who have the data to improve their products.
Or everything will go saas so you'll get desktop "software" that's nothing more than a shell making HTTP calls back to a backend so all the usage gets tracked there and it'll be slow as shit for the priviledge.
> spyware is software that spies on other processes.
I don't know where you heard that but that is absolutely untrue. There have been anti=spyware apps dating back to the late 90s and before, and they essentially AV scanners with a slightly different focus
> spyware is software that spies on other processes.
The New Oxford American Dictionary defines it as "software that enables a user to obtain covert information about another's computer activities by transmitting data covertly from their hard drive"
Without consent / explicit opt-in, this describes most telemetry perfectly.
You're right, it has been bastardized.
We used to call it what it actually is: spyware.