EDIT: It seems this made it to HN. Is this my cue to Soatokify this article?

The NightOwl application has existed since 2018 and is used to automatically switch between light/dark modes on the operating system. It is an alternative to the built in macOS automatic mode which only switches when the user steps away from the computer.

However, the application has been bought out by “TPE.FYI LLC” in late 2022 that forcibly joins your devices into a botnet for use of market research, without your knowledge (other than the TOS in small text on the download page) or express consent (this feature cannot be turned off, even when the app is quit). This is documented in their terms of service.

  • @Chocrates
    5•1 year ago

    You still need to build package and install it yourself though or else you are trusting someone else. Open Source software has been used as a vector for attacks before by bad actors getting access to the build system or source code.