If you've upgraded to Mac OS X Yosemite (10.10) and you're using the default settings, each time you start typing in Spotlight (to open an application or search for a file on your computer), your local search terms and location are sent to Apple and third parties (including Microsoft).

Media

Washington Post
“Once Yosemite is installed, users searching for files – even on their own hard drives -- have their locations, unique user IDs and search terms automatically sent to the company, keystroke by keystroke.”

Forbes
“It’s emerged that anyone who uses the Spotlight feature in either Mac OS X Yosemite or iOS 8 will have their location and search data passed to Apple servers.”

The Register
“It's on by default – did you not read the small print?”


Spotlight isn't the only Mac OS X Yosemite feature that unnecessarily phones home; a myriad of system and user processes are sending data to Apple in a default configuration, and we want to fix those, too.
Yosemite Phone Home is a collaborative project to identify additional data that collected by Apple and other third parties. This work is powered by Net-Monitor, our open-source toolkit for auditing phone home behavior system-wide.

How to restore privacy:

Disable "Spotlight Suggestions" and "Bing Web Searches" in System Preferences > Spotlight > Search Results.
Safari also has a "Spotlight Suggestions" setting that is separate from Spotlight's "Spotlight Suggestions". This uses the same mechanism as Spotlight, and if left enabled, Safari will send a copy of all search queries to Apple.
You'd be forgiven for thinking that you'd already disabled "Spotlight Suggestions", but you'll also need to uncheck "Include Spotlight Suggestions" in Safari > Preferences > Search.

Alternatively, you can apply the changes automatically using fix-macosx.py.

Fix Mac OS X

 

Kool...........good to know, thanks for the info!

 

thanks man, very useful, I love this site

 

"It just works"

Well it works for the corporations and ad agencies

Not so good for the user though.

 

TROLOLOLOL basically a keylogger? If I use one on my ex-girl puter to spy on her and I get caught, I get convicted and sent to jail
Mama Apple is getting on my last nerve. People serious about audio, make a good backup of latest decent version of OSX (mmmh Mavericks?),
all latest versions of plugs you use, it may get handy very soon. I imagine in another couple of OSX versions it will become totally unusable for serious work. *yes*

 

Best thing to do is never connect your audio machine to any network, mine is now airwalled and with no a/v or network code the machine runs much better. I have an older pc used to connect to the web and most browsing is done via a VM.

 

You're 100% right, the point is that such a shit shouldn't be there to start with.
And the process responsible for it will be running anyway, even if you're just offline the hardware way.
If you know how to you can kill and disable loading at boot of certain useless processes, but not a job for the average user.
I have some processes killed in ML too.

 

Problem with Mac and no internet is Apple pushing ppl to cloud, iOS and store (and more).
It started with the first free OSX upgrade (Mavericks) and one year later (only) Yosemite is already here...whereas some Mavericks bugs still unsolved.

More cloud, more iOS interaction, more Apple Store...more web. How many time you will use your Mac without internet needs ?
Not so long my friends (and i still need to write that article about Apple changes)

 

Still on 10.8.5 and happy with it.
This news has further reduced any desire I had to to upgrade. GG Apple...

 

At least this matter is something that can be turned off.

 

OMG!
now, when I thought everything in my life was updated is because all is more public.
is this the irony?
@ BumBcL0t well, there is always a laptop buried in sand!
@ Pipotron3000, ja ..."the cloud" were the last words of the prophet! ( to be honest the cloud is kinda of cool, specially for all note taking ppl)
All prophets see a final cloud, dunno why this obsession, and from where this concern with intangibility comes.
And now back to choose an affordable tv set with wifi built-in a a self-massage sofa ; )
From the sofa, perhaps with the assistance of an ethical hacker(employed by a mid-range concrete company) we might start watching-modifying-altering "the privacy".

 

And the last thing, under the anthropological eye: new technology, new values.
Tell about “the value of privacy” in XIX century when large families were living in a single room of a shared house , specially when a big number of these families due to extreme poverty had to smooth their criminal records in front the near by society of neighbors , shops assistants and so on.