This is disappointing, as I liked Manjaro though I haven’t run it in a while because VMware Workstation is broken with 3D graphics support for newer Linux distributions. It’s just bad form to opt people into data collection or telemetry by default. So if you want an easy to install and run Arch based distribution, I’d suggest Endeavor OS which I run on my laptop. Seems like they might be getting some static for this and might reverse course.
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Manjaro-Linux-Data-Donor
By Michael Larabel
Arch-based Manjaro Linux is working on Manjaro Data Donor “MDD” as a new data collection tool of its users. This is intended to succeed their former ping-based solution for user counting plus incorporate hardware/software data collection on users. Once deployed, this will be opt-out handling for the data collection.
Manjaro developer Roman Gilg has been working on the Manjaro Data Donor as a better means of user counting than the current ping-based approach with NetworkManager. Plus Manjaro Data DOnor will allow collecting of hardware/software details on Manjaro systems using the INXI utility. The data is then collected on one of Manjaro’s ClickHouse servers.
The plan is after a few days of testing to deploy Manjaro Data Donor to all Manjaro systems. A systemd service will submit the data automatically. Until then users need to manually install MDD, but after that default deployment it will be an opt-out process if not wanting to participate in the data collection.
Roman wrote in the Manjaro Forums about the Manjaro Data Donor:
“With this systemd service later in place, sending the hardware data with MDD will be opt-out because I believe, if you do opt-in, the data you gather will be so heavily skewed you can just leave it be.
Let me know what you think. I know telemetry is a contentious subject, but we need at least some data about how Manjaro is being used by so many people around the world in order to show that the project has a future and also to plan for that future.”