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Why promise no opt-out telemetry while telemetry has been on the whole time? Without even a button to turn it off. #4123

Description

@salixhost

I’m frustrated that telemetry appears to have been added and enabled by default without clearly notifying existing users.
T3 Code’s website previously made an explicit promise:

No telemetry
Unless you opt in. Full stop.

That statement appeared on the homepage on May 14th (https://web.archive.org/web/20260514051916/https://t3.codes/) and was later silently removed (3bdaa6e). Meanwhile, the telemetry configuration currently defaults to enabled (and has since March 5th) (https://github.com/pingdotgg/t3code/blob/main/apps/server/src/telemetry/AnalyticsService.ts).

Users who installed T3 Code based on an explicit “unless you opt in” promise had a reasonable expectation that no analytics without their knowledge and consent would be sent out. Removing that wording from the website is not a proper notification to existing users.

Expected behavior

Before enabling telemetry or materially changing data-collection behavior, the project should:

  • Notify existing users prominently through the application or update process.
  • Explain exactly what is collected, when it is collected, and where it is sent.
  • Request explicit consent before enabling it.
  • Preserve the existing privacy behavior until the user makes a choice.
  • Provide an obvious in-app control for disabling it completely.
  • Document the opt-out for CLI and headless installations.

Requested resolution

  • Disable telemetry by default for users who have not explicitly opted in.
  • Add an in-app notice and consent prompt.
  • Add a clearly visible telemetry setting.
  • Publish the complete telemetry event and property schema.
  • Explain when telemetry was introduced, which releases contained it, and whether users were notified.
  • Establish a policy requiring prominent advance notice for future privacy or data-collection changes.

Even if the collected information is considered “anonymous,” silently enabling it after publicly promising opt-in telemetry is unacceptable.

Activity

  1. akhmerov commented on Jul 18, 2026

    @akhmerov

    I fully agree with the issue description. For completeness, right now (v0.0.28) disabling telemetry requires setting T3CODE_TELEMETRY_ENABLED=false environment variable.

  2. saltacc commented on Aug 12, 2026

    @saltacc

    the devs have already stated they don't want to make the telemetry easier to opt out of, so I doubt they will do this unfortunately. It's pretty weird behavior, imo, especially considering they still make false claims on x etc about no telemetry

  3. ewbrowntech commented on Aug 19, 2026

    @ewbrowntech

    This is potentially a breach of legal compliance for those using this in T3 Code in enterprise on anything touching the US government. Please either make this properly opt-in or add some form of documentation.

    I am lucky that I noticed because of SSL cert issues to PostHog, or I could have found myself receiving disciplinary action for trying to use this app at work.

  4. jlisee commented on Sep 21, 2026

    @jlisee

    Telemetry was documented on September 4th, 2026 and it's description now lives in docs/user/telemetry.md So telemetry was on for 6 or 7 months before it was documented and the T3CODE_TELEMETRY_ENABLED flag was created.

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