[wp-hackers] Re: Plugin update & security / privacy

[Doug Stewart]

This functionality, and the way to disable it, should be mentioned in
the official 2.3 release information in 40pt. bolded, underlined,
italicized text, as even the APPEARANCE of untoward behavior should be
avoided.  Doing sneaky stuff behind the scenes that has more face
value for the software provider and not for the software user has
already happened once in the history of WordPress and it's not a
specter I think anyone wants to conjure up again any time soon.

Full disclosure is the way to go, plus a link in slightly smaller text
pointing end users to Ideas and Kvetches so we can track end users'
reactions to this feature.

It would be terrible if this went "undisclosed" and then "leaked" to
sites that already have an anti-WP stance who could very well scare
users off of upgrading or even using WP in the first place.

At least that's how I see it.

-- 
-Doug

http://literalbarrage.org/blog/