GitHub CLI now collects pseudoanonymous telemetry

Article

TL;DR

GitHub CLI v2.91.0 enables telemetry by default; opt out with gh config set telemetry disabled.

Key Takeaways

• Opt-out: export GH_TELEMETRY=false or gh config set telemetry disabled; enterprise exempt by default
• Data follows the user identity, not the artifact — closer to surveillance than usage analytics
• CI/CD environments may fail or break network constraints with default-on telemetry enabled

Discussion

Top comments:

• [neobrain]: Concise opt-out options: env var, DO_NOT_TRACK, or gh config command
• [ryanshrott]: CI/CD and bastion hosts may break due to outbound connections being on by default
• [tpsvca]: Sharp distinction: data tied to user identity is surveillance, not analytics

  The line I drew: if deleting the short link removes all the data, it’s analytics. If deleting the link leaves a profile somewhere, it’s surveillance. GitHub CLI is the opposite case.

• [ImJasonH]: GitHub already logs all requests server-side; this changes little for privacy

Discuss on HN