Metrics collection can be disabled by the user, and this option is also presented to the user on first load of Atom.

In the case of Atom, they state quite plainly on first-load that they track usage for the purposes of telemetry/product improvement, and you can opt-out on first-open.

I'm not really sure I see the issue?

Also, usually with Google Analytics you're viewing a remote website (or in this case I suppose you're phoning home for updates on every startup). If they really wanted to, they could just check their webserver logs. It just saves them having to parse it or graph it.

Is there some particular new information you're concerned or worried about leaking, that they don't already have?

That's right, GA is the malware and websites / apps that use it are distributing malware. Sort of like SourceForge distributing malware with its installers.

> I'm not really sure I see the issue?

Do you have an issue IRL if someone follows you around, taking notes of every where you go? I do.

I'm sorry, but that's like saying "Trees are weapons of mass destruction", then providing no evidence for that statement.

If you can at least provide some salient evidence to substantiate what otherwise seems to make no sense, we can try to understand your point. As it stands, I'm sorry, but you just come off as a bit tin-foil...

With regards to your second point - let's say I have a supermarket rewards card - every time I make a purchase, they track it. Do I have an issue with it? Nope, not really - I'm buying the damn products from them, why should I care if they know what I'm buying from them. I'm sure if they really wanted, they could compare the credit card receipts against store takings - this just simplifies the process for them.

Or say I drive a car, and I go through a toll-gate - do I care that the toll-gate company knows my daily trips, or when I like to travel?

(Maybe they'll send an email going, we notice you like driving during peak hours, have you considered driving at these times.)

Nope - I'm already paying to go through their toll-gate, if I didn't want them to know I drove through their toll-gate, I just wouldn't take that toll road.

Likewise with Google Analytics - it's used by a website, to track visitors to its own website - if you don't want them seeing you visit their website, don't visit it.

As I said earlier, your IP address is already sent every time you hit the web-server - this just helps them parse and graph that data into pretty charts.

Would you complain if you found out a website had Apache access logs of your visit? Would you jump up and down, yelling it was an invasion of your privacy?

If you don't want a website knowing you visited their website - don't visit them. I'm sorry if it seems harsh - but of all the reasons to hate on an open-source project like Atom, this seems like an incredibly petty and baseless one.

Then how did you know about it? (sorry, I had to). Seriously though, everyone knows most web pages use GA.