Wednesday, August 9th 2023
PSA: Intel Graphics Drivers Now Collect Telemetry (after Opt-In)
Graphics cards are the most dynamic hardware components of the modern PC, in need of constant driver updates to keep them optimized for the latest games. Intel may be the newest on the block with discrete gaming GPUs, with its Arc A-series competing in the mid-range, but the company has a vast software engineering muscle that ensures a constant stream of driver updates for these GPUs regardless of their smaller market share compared to entrenched players NVIDIA and AMD. A part of keeping the drivers up-to-date and understanding the user-base to improve future generations of GPUs, involves data-collection from the existing users.
The updated installer of Intel Arc GPU Graphics Drivers lets users decide if they want the company to collect anonymous usage data from them. For those with the data-collection already opted in, the installer leaves the data-collection component untouched in the "typical" installation option, and presents it as an optional action item in the "Customize" installation option. For those that did not opt for data-collection, the "typical" installation option doesn't sneak the component in, but presents it as an unchecked optional item in the "Customize" screen. An older version of this article stated that the data-collection component, dubbed Computing Improvement Program (CIP), would install onto unsuspecting users' machines in the "typical" installation, disregarding their prior choices with the component. We have since significantly changed our article as Intel clarified many of our questions and demystified CIF, what its scope of data-collection is, and how it makes its way to your machine with Intel's driver software.When you run the installer the very first time, you are presented with two agreements to accept. The first one of course is a standard Software License Agreement. Declining this will cause the installer to close, but accepting it will take you to the next screen, where you're presented with an agreement dedicated to data collection. This one clearly spells out the scope of data-collection of CIP, and what it does not collect. You can accept this agreement, which will install and enable CIP; or you can even choose to decline this agreement, which will cause installation to proceed without telemetry.
The first time you run the Arc GPU Graphics Software installer, it remembers whether you opted for or against CIP (whether you accepted or declined the data collection agreement); by leaving a Windows Registry key located in "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Intel\SUR\ICIP". All future instances of Arc GPU Graphics Software installer run on your machine, be it a "clean" reinstall, or a simple upgrade; will check your opt-in status by looking up this Registry key. Apparently, our machine from the original article was opted into CIP, and so the installer assumed that since we had accepted its agreement, it should simply install CIP as part of the "typical" option, and only present it as an action item in the "customize" screen, where you can choose not to install CIP, even if you had accepted its agreement.You can remove CIP from your machine at any given time from "Add/Remove Programs" in the Windows Control Panel, since CIP is its own item in the installed software list. Uninstalling CIP from here does not disturb the installation of other Intel Software products or drivers (eg: your Chipset INF, Management Engine, Networking, or even Arc GPU Graphics drivers).
It's pertinent to note here, that since the CIP agreement is presented right after the main Intel Software License Agreement, and since it is a visually similar screen, gamers in a hurry could be tricked into thinking that the CIP agreement is as obligatory as the SLA. They could be made to think that one must accept both agreements for the installer to proceed, since the first one is mandatory. There's also the likelihood that someone in a hurry would simply keep mashing that "Accept" button below a wall of text, without bothering to read what it is.
This is similar to how some freeware programs include opt-ins for third-party software as part of the installer that they are tied up with (eg: anti-virus utilities included with Adobe Reader). So far, AMD's handling of this telemetry opt-in with the user in their Radeon Software Adrenalin drivers comes across as the least stealthy or cloak-and-dagger. You're presented with a big, centrally-located checkbox to decide if you want AMD to collect data, at the completion of the driver installation. This way you know that your drivers are installed, and that the data-collection tool is truly optional.
The updated installer of Intel Arc GPU Graphics Drivers lets users decide if they want the company to collect anonymous usage data from them. For those with the data-collection already opted in, the installer leaves the data-collection component untouched in the "typical" installation option, and presents it as an optional action item in the "Customize" installation option. For those that did not opt for data-collection, the "typical" installation option doesn't sneak the component in, but presents it as an unchecked optional item in the "Customize" screen. An older version of this article stated that the data-collection component, dubbed Computing Improvement Program (CIP), would install onto unsuspecting users' machines in the "typical" installation, disregarding their prior choices with the component. We have since significantly changed our article as Intel clarified many of our questions and demystified CIF, what its scope of data-collection is, and how it makes its way to your machine with Intel's driver software.When you run the installer the very first time, you are presented with two agreements to accept. The first one of course is a standard Software License Agreement. Declining this will cause the installer to close, but accepting it will take you to the next screen, where you're presented with an agreement dedicated to data collection. This one clearly spells out the scope of data-collection of CIP, and what it does not collect. You can accept this agreement, which will install and enable CIP; or you can even choose to decline this agreement, which will cause installation to proceed without telemetry.
The first time you run the Arc GPU Graphics Software installer, it remembers whether you opted for or against CIP (whether you accepted or declined the data collection agreement); by leaving a Windows Registry key located in "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Intel\SUR\ICIP". All future instances of Arc GPU Graphics Software installer run on your machine, be it a "clean" reinstall, or a simple upgrade; will check your opt-in status by looking up this Registry key. Apparently, our machine from the original article was opted into CIP, and so the installer assumed that since we had accepted its agreement, it should simply install CIP as part of the "typical" option, and only present it as an action item in the "customize" screen, where you can choose not to install CIP, even if you had accepted its agreement.You can remove CIP from your machine at any given time from "Add/Remove Programs" in the Windows Control Panel, since CIP is its own item in the installed software list. Uninstalling CIP from here does not disturb the installation of other Intel Software products or drivers (eg: your Chipset INF, Management Engine, Networking, or even Arc GPU Graphics drivers).
It's pertinent to note here, that since the CIP agreement is presented right after the main Intel Software License Agreement, and since it is a visually similar screen, gamers in a hurry could be tricked into thinking that the CIP agreement is as obligatory as the SLA. They could be made to think that one must accept both agreements for the installer to proceed, since the first one is mandatory. There's also the likelihood that someone in a hurry would simply keep mashing that "Accept" button below a wall of text, without bothering to read what it is.
This is similar to how some freeware programs include opt-ins for third-party software as part of the installer that they are tied up with (eg: anti-virus utilities included with Adobe Reader). So far, AMD's handling of this telemetry opt-in with the user in their Radeon Software Adrenalin drivers comes across as the least stealthy or cloak-and-dagger. You're presented with a big, centrally-located checkbox to decide if you want AMD to collect data, at the completion of the driver installation. This way you know that your drivers are installed, and that the data-collection tool is truly optional.