Should we start collecting software usage data?

Any kind of non-networking task (e.g., starting a segmentation task) initiating network communication without explicit user approval could be interpreted by some users as spying. Users that are sensitive about tracking their activities install firewalls that immediately notify them about all network requests and they are upset if they find out that a software attempted to send information without consent, may start a smear campaign, etc. that we should all absolutely avoid. I think allowing sending network request without explicit approval of network communication could be acceptable only for operations of that the main goal is to request information from a server (e.g., update check).

@muratmaga as far as I remember you have been asking about more detailed usage data some time ago. Could you comment about this discussion and describe your needs?

@pieper @jcfr do you have anything to add?