Ensuring Data Privacy and Telemetry in PyCharm for Organizational Use

Background/Situation

A user expressed interest in advocating for the adoption of PyCharm at their organization (Alstom) but raised concerns regarding telemetry and data sharing policies, which are critical factors for approval. The user also emphasized the need for versions without telemetry to meet organizational security requirements.

Question

How can PyCharm ensure data privacy and address telemetry concerns for organizational usage?

Answer

PyCharm and other JetBrains IDEs come with built-in settings to control data sharing and ensure user privacy. Here are the solutions to address data privacy and telemetry concerns:

1. Disabling Anonymous Usage Statistics:

   • In PyCharm, navigate to Settings | Appearance & Behavior | System Settings | Data Sharing.
   • Uncheck the Send Usage Statistics option. Once disabled, no anonymous usage statistics are sent.

2. Data Collection for Organizational Licenses:

   • For commercial and organizational licenses, PyCharm does not collect code-related data unless explicitly allowed.
   • Features such as AI prompts, code snippets, or edit history data are off by default and cannot be enabled without explicit permission at the company level. This safeguard ensures that a single developer cannot override these settings.

3. Centralized Control with JetBrains IDE Services:

   • Administrators can enforce "no detailed data sharing" policies organization-wide.
   • JetBrains IDE Services allows setting these restrictions centrally, preventing individual developers from overriding them.
   • It supports on-premises or air-gapped deployments, ensuring no data leaves your organization's network, even in the strictest IT environments.

4. Resources for Legal and Security Teams:

   • Refer to the following detailed documentation to facilitate discussions with your organization’s legal and security teams:
     • Product Data Collection and Usage Notice
     • FAQ on Detailed Code-related Data Collection
     • Data Sharing Settings (IntelliJ IDEA docs, applicable to PyCharm as well)
     • Centralized Data Control in IDE Services

By following the steps above, PyCharm can address the data privacy and telemetry concerns required for organizational acceptance at Alstom. Feel free to reach out if you need further assistance or have additional questions.