"This is a dangerous argument to make; it's technically true (through Ubuntu's update mechanism), but it's not something you -- as the man with arguably the most influence on the project -- would want to use as an argument in a discussion about a controversial matter affecting your own user base," Perot said via email.

His analysis , while Amazon doesn't appear to be directly collecting search information, the fact that the Ubuntu feature apparently loads thumbnail images from an Amazon server means that logging request information could reveal quite a lot about a searcher.

Open-source evangelist Benjamin Kerensa reached a similar conclusion from his own , finding that his computer connected directly to Amazon's servers when he used the new search feature.

Beyond the issue of privacy, users on Ubuntu's bug reporting system have slammed the Amazon integration as , with many saying they don't want to be shown product offers by default. Others questioned why the feature is active by default, with no obvious way to deactivate it.

Email Jon Gold at jgold@nww.com and follow him on Twitter at @NWWJonGold.