Wacom caught tracking user on drawing tablet - SlashGear

In early 2020, an intrepid Wacom drawing tablet user by the name of Robert decided to do some investigative work on his beloved drawing tool. To do this, he employed the help of in-between software – that which allows a user to see what data’s being sent from a device to a 3rd-party server via the internet (and vice versa). His findings did not please him.

Software engineer Robert Heaton investigated the goings-on in his Wacom tablet with respect to the phrase in the user agreement* which suggested Google Analytics would be collecting “aggregate usage data, technical session information and information about Your hardware device.”

He found that Wacom seems to be sending information that includes more than what’s implied in their basic user agreement for the driver in question. Per Heaton: “What requires more explanation is why Wacom think it’s acceptable to record every time I open a new application, including the time, a string that presumably uniquely identifies me, and the application’s name.” A screenshot from Heaton is included below:

This tracking business is not new. Per the *Tablet Driver update 6.3.27 – delivered at some point in the year 2019 – Wacom’s desktop driver for Wacom tablets now includes a “Wacom Experience Program” – which is the place where Wacom is connected to Google Analytics.

“By clicking the “Agree”-Button when installing Tablet Driver, you have consented to our use of Google Analytics.” Wacom also suggests, re Google Analytics privacy policy, that “All of this information is anonymized.”

Per an official comment from Wacom – in their latest Wacom Privacy Policy – it’s noted that Wacom collects “Usage Information”. They give the example: “indicators of engagement with our website or usage of Services, IP address, device identifier, etc.”. They suggest that they use this info “to improve our products and create new products” and… “To provide targeted advertising.”

It’s important to note, here, that Wacom includes the following in their Privacy Policy: We do not engage in transactions by which we provide a consumer’s personal information to other parties in exchange for financial payment. They certainly seem to be sending info to Google for use with Google Analytics, but do not seem to be… trading that information for money, so to speak.

To turn this specific bit of tracking business OFF, you’ll need to go to your Wacom tablets “Wacom Desktop Center” if one exists. Therein you’ll need to find the “Wacom Experience Program” and opt-out. It’s entirely possible this opt-out bit does not exist for you – there may be no tracking system going on with your Wacom tablet. But it’s worth a glance.

UPDATE: You’ll want to head to Wacom Desktop Center > More > Privacy Settings – and un-check “Participate in Wacom Experience Program”. It might be un-checked by default for you, or you might need to tap to un-check. You might’ve already opted-out when you updated drivers when this system was first released.

If you’d like to request that Wacom not sell your personal information to third parties, you can do so… if you’re a resident of the state of California in the USA. You can do so using the CCPA form at Wacom – that’s an official “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” Request.

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