Wacom apologizes for collecting user data and explains "some misunderstandings in media information"

On February 7, Wacom posted a notice entitled "Notice Regarding Data Collection by Our Pen Tablet Products". In it, he apologized for causing concern to users and explained that there was a misunderstanding regarding data collection.

The company's announcement originated from a blog posted by Robert Heaton in the United States on February 5, 2020. The content is that the Wacom tablet was collecting the names of the apps that were launched while it was in use. On Twitter, the company said, "I was shocked" and "I turned it off immediately", while others defended it as "It's okay, but the explanation wasn't enough" and "It's not enough to make a noise."

According to the company's announcement posted this time, "model name of pen tablet product", "usage status" and "name of software used while using the product" are collected as anonymous statistical data on the Google Analytics server. Above, I said that there are some misunderstandings.

After confirming the content of the "misunderstanding" in the Wacom public relations, "The" Wacom Experience Program "that collects user information for product development is not a part of the product driver, but another one. Restart after installing the driver. I am asking if I agree to the Wacom Experience Program. This can be opt-out (stopping data provision), and even if I opt-out, the product will work without problems. " However, the screen notification asking for consent to the Wacom Experience Program is called "Tablet Driver His Privacy Notice," which is certainly misleading.

In addition, "As announced, the MAC address and product serial number are not collected, it is impossible to identify the user. We do not collect files or work data in the PC."

When asked how the data collected by the Wacom Experience Program is being used for development, he said, "We are using it to improve our products. For example, we can optimize it by using apps that are often used by users. It will be useful for the purpose of operating more stably. "

In addition, when asked if there is a possibility of changing the data collection contents of the "Wacom Experience Program" in the future, "We are reviewing the collected data each time what kind of data is needed to improve the product." There was a comment.

For details on how to opt out of the "Wacom Experience Program", refer to "How to change the tablet driver privacy notification settings" on the official website. Specifically, open the PC setting application "Wacom Desktop Center" and select "More" (next to the right of login) at the top right of the screen. You can stop collecting data by selecting "Privacy Settings" from the pull-down menu and turning off "Join Wacom Experience Program".