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The issue which this topic should address is whether it is ethical to have a browser installation an opt-out by default. It doesn’t matter how many others are doing it. It doesn’t matter who the others are that are doing it? It doesn’t matter the merits or not of the browser. It only should matter whether this is right or wrong. As it must be lawful, it then comes down to whether it’s ethical.
And the contention that everyone else is doing it does not mean it’s ethical.
Many here will wonder how this could be such a big issue. Let me offer an example and then if you think it’s no big deal you can state again that it’s no big deal and my example is nonsense.
A person who knows next to nothing about computers or the Internet or WWW or all things related buys a computer. Let’s say it’s one that has IE9 or 10 bundled in with an OS already installed. Seller tells the new owner that she/he should immediately install an antivirus program and recommends Avast, but doesn’t think to mention to be careful about that opt-out feature for Chrome.
This new owner manages to install the new Avast program and then is quite surprised to find that new browser installed and really doesn’t know what to do and thinks she/he has somehow already become infected with something bad.
Is that scenario too farfetched?