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Daemon Tools Collects Image File Details, Even Without Permission

Companies should have learned by now that a sound privacy policy is a must

Feb 13, 2012 11:16 GMT  ·  By
The new MountSpace feature in Daemon Tools raises privacy concerns
   The new MountSpace feature in Daemon Tools raises privacy concerns

There are very few people in the world that haven’t used at least once Daemon Tools to mount image files when playing games or installing applications, but few know that the latest variant of the software comes with a service that monitors the user’s activity and records information such as the .iso file’s details.

According to Within Windows, MountSpace, the service in question, designed to keep track of user statistics, sends the device's IP address along with other information, even identifying if the customer is new.

The most worrying fact is that Daemon Tools’ privacy policy doesn’t mention anything about collecting data and MountSpace doesn’t even have an actual policy. Their official site only displays some general guidelines, but nothing specific regarding monitoring or tracking.

While MountSpace is an optional service that theoretically can be disabled during the installation process of Daemon Tools, in reality, even if users chose not to install it, it’s not turned off.

The company may argue that by selecting the “Don’t allow MountSpace to use my mount statistics” option the stored information is flagged for deletion after it reaches the server, but since everything is done in this suspicious manner, no one can be sure.

The data that’s received or sent is stored in a folder found in AppData\Daemon Tools\ImageInfoCache.

Experts suggest that there is a workaround that can be implemented to make sure MountSpace doesn’t violate your privacy. By blocking the IPs 212.117.184.51 and 212.117.185.149 in the operating system’s firewall, the service is prevented from connecting to the server.

Hopefully, the parties involved, specifically Daemon Tools and MountSpace, will address the issue and come forward with some clarifications and a precise policy that reveals exactly what, why, and for how long everything is stored.

The bottom line is that each day we come across applications that raise privacy alarm bells, and unfortunately, all the controversy that rises around these pieces of software doesn’t make developers be more careful and at least create a sound policy so that everyone knows what the risks are.