Introduction
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For privacy/security reasons or in cases of limited network bandwidth/traffic, some people would like to control what connections Ubuntu automatically makes to the Internet. This article explains the reasons why Ubuntu makes this connections, and how you can stop it from doing so if you wish.
This list apply to Ubuntu 14.04 LTS.
Online search results in the Dash
In addition to helping you find apps or files on your computer, the Dash also shows you related online results for your searches. Online sources include Amazon.com and dozens of other online sources.
If you don't want to receive online search suggestions, you can disable this feature.
- Click the icon at the far right of the menu bar and select System Settings.
Open Security & Privacy and select the Search tab.
- Switch off "Include online search results".
- Log out and log back in for the change to take effect.
Apps Available for Download
Connection being made when you type in Dash search bar with applications lens selected, ignoring "Include Online Search Results" switch set to "Off" in Privacy panel of System Settings. To disable this connection:
- Launch terminal (Ctrl-Alt-T)
- Execute this command:
gsettings set com.canonical.Unity.ApplicationsLens display-available-apps false
Time synchronization
By default, Ubuntu synchronizes the clock with ntp.ubuntu.com server on every boot. To disable:
(Warning: disabling ntp may break things that rely on an accurate time stamp and an accurate clock, also you may have to set your clock manually now and then to keep clock accurate)
- Open "System Settings"
Select "Time & Date" icon
- Select "Manually" in "Set the time:"
Ubuntu error tracker submission
This program submits crash reports to an Ubuntu server. It makes a DNS query for daisy.ubuntu.com on every boot. To disable:
(Warning: Ubuntu will lose ability to report bugs)
- Click the icon at the far right of the menu bar and select System Settings.
Open Security & Privacy and select the Diagnostics tab.
- Switch off "Send error reports to Canonical".
- Log out and log back in for the change to take effect.
Automatic update checking
By default, Ubuntu checks once a day to see if any updates are available. To disable these checks:
(Warning: Disabling update checking is not recommended and may leave you open to security vulnerabilities and bugs)
- Open "System Settings"
Select the "Software & Updates" icon
- Select the "Updates" tab
- Select "Never" in "Automatically check for updates:"
Rhythmbox cover art search
Rhythmbox fetches album cover art from remote sources if no local one is found. To disable:
(Warning: Rhythmbox will lose ability to search/discover album covers from both local and remote sources. Those already cached will stay in place.)
- Launch Rhythmbox
- Click on "Edit" menu and select "Plugins"
- Uncheck "Cover art search" plugin and click on "Close" button
Firefox automatic connections
See this article:
How to stop Firefox from automatically making connections without my permission
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-stop-firefox-automatically-making-connections
External Links / Sources
http://askubuntu.com/questions/135602/i-have-permanent-connections-to-canonical-servers-what-are-they-for-and-how-can - I have permanent connections to Canonical servers, what are they for and how can I turn them off?
http://askubuntu.com/questions/37747/how-to-remove-apps-available-for-download-from-the-applications-lens - How to remove “Apps Available for Download” from the applications lens?
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2000108 - Disabling privacy-invasive Zeitgeist, Geoclue, Whoopsie (and NTPD)
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2144464 - Obscure automatic connections guide