Information about Audacity
Hey folks!
I was using Audacity on my Windows PC for my records for bluesharmonica.com.
But since the earliest update the programm don't want to play my mp3's. So I decided to deleted an reinstall the program with
the earliest update again. And then I became a virus warning. I tried it again. And again the warning.
I was looking for informations about this case and I found this on a computer website:
"The former open source audio editor Audacity became the property of the “Muse Group” and has only made negative headlines since then. Some go so far as to refer to the program as "spyware" and in fact the reasons and types of data collection are more than dubious.
Only after version 3.0.0 did the Muse Group have its fingers in the code and started sending your data there via the Internet. So if you install an even older one, you are on the safe side. Just have a look at the older downloads on Fosshub, which you can find there for every operating system.
However, this means that you have to stay on this version. Later plugins may be incompatible."
So, it seems to be true, that if you install the newest version auf audacity, you get a virus which is spying on you.
I advise everyone who is using audacity on a windows pc to look for an alternative. I'm not familiar with apple and if apple users had the same problem.
Keep harping!
Rouven
Thank you mmarquez for your answer!
I had read the response and it calmed me down. :)
You might be right, it was quite unfair of me to call it spyware. I will try to use Audacity again.
So, I tried to install the new version of audacity and: No. I didn't work. My computer won't let me install audacity without warning me that the software is an dangerous programm.
I ignored it, installed the programm and want to open a study song mp3 audio file and audacity want me to install ffmpeg.
I tried to download this software aswell and here we are again: My pc won't install it because of a warning of a dangerous prgoramm.
I had enough. I'm looking for an other programm for windows.
The download page should be https://www.audacityteam.org/download/windows/. I downloaded the file, then submitted the file to virustotal (a page which runs the file through a long list of anti-viruses) and these are the results: no virus found.
The FFMPeg installer is downloaded from https://lame.buanzo.org/ffmpeg64audacity.php and virustotal shows that only one anti-virus signals it as "malicious", which is in all likelihood a false positive.
I don't know what exactly is indicating it's a malicious program (whether it's Windows, or the browser or what) but I am fairly certain that's a configuration issue, not that these are virus.
In any case, what do you want audacity for? Depending on what you want it for you might use one program or another. I never use audacity for slowing down tracks or changing their pitch. I use either this browser extension I mentioned in a forum post or an Android app called "Music Speed Changer". These are both free of charge. For a DAW I generally use BandLab, a free web-based DAW which allows you to load different tracks, mix them, apply effects like reverb or delay, do equalization (it even provides some automatic "mastering" of your tracks) and many other things, all without the need to download any software.
HTH.
You can read the response from the Muse Group to those allegations at https://www.musicradar.com/news/audacity-spyware-claims
I think calling it spyware is quite unfair and I would not be worried about using Audacity at all (in fact, I will still use it in my Linux computer when needed, not problem). Just my opinion.