Adobe Product Improvement Program
From Adobe Labs
Frequently Asked Questions
Updated: 4/21/2008
What is the Adobe Product Improvement Program?
The Adobe Product Improvement Program lets you voluntarily participate in the direction of future products by helping Adobe better understand your individual needs. With your participation, Adobe collects anonymous data on how you use our products. We analyze the data to understand how customers use Adobe products and how we can improve our products in the future. If you agree to participate in the program, we will automatically receive anonymous product information through your Internet connection, including:
- System information, such as the operating system, processor, and memory installed
- Browser type and version
- Adobe product information, such as version number
- Adobe product feature usage, such as the menu options or buttons that you select while working with the product (Dreamweaver only)
To participate in the program requires minimal effort: You simply grant us permission to collect the data and then everything happens automatically. You do not have to fill out lengthy surveys, nor will you receive follow-up emails related to this program. You are just helping us collect anonymous information to improve Adobe products. If you participate in this program, a small configuration file will be downloaded to your computer from time to time. The purpose of this file is to update the configuration of the data that is collected.
Is this program safe? And how is my privacy protected?
Adobe takes many precautions in protecting the information that is collected and transmitted from potentially harmful access. We only collect data for the specific product(s) listed in the Adobe Product Improvement Program dialog box, and it's only disclosed according to the terms described in the Adobe privacy policy. Data collected is stored or processed in the United States or any other country where Adobe or third party partners operate.
This program is not spyware and cannot collect information without your full knowledge or consent. The program cannot act on your computer, and only collects information as described in the "What is the Adobe Product Improvement Program?" section. The program takes the actions described on this page, and only provided you give your permission.
Since no personal identifiable information is collected as part of the Adobe Product Improvement Program, your anonymous data will not be meaningful to anyone else besides specific Adobe product teams.
Will I receive spam as a result of participating?
You will not receive any emails from Adobe regarding this program whether or not you participate. We do not collect personal identifiable information as part of this program that will be used to identify you or contact you.
Yes, I want to help. What should I do?
If you are seeing this page because you have seen a dialog box in an Adobe product, simply go back to the dialog box, choose the Yes option, and then click OK.*
If you found this page by browsing Adobe's website and you are interested in being part of the program, all you need to do is:
- Open up the product for which you want to share usage information.
- Go to the product's Help menu and select Adobe Product Improvement Program...
- Select the Yes option in the dialog box that appears and then click OK.*
* You won't see the dialog box again unless you click the Remind Me Later button or open the dialog box by choosing Help > Adobe Product Improvement Program....
Do I need an Internet connection?
You need an Internet connection to participate in this program. However, you don't need to be connected all the time. When an Internet connection is available, information is automatically transmitted on a regular basis with minimal impact to your connection.
Why should I trust Adobe with this type of information?
We are committed to creating the best products. This type of information gathering helps us understand how a large number of our users work with our products. Without this kind of understanding, we are more limited in the kinds of improvements we can make. The information we collect is anonymous. In addition, we work to protect information we collect from potentially harmful access during collection and transmission. You can learn more about how we handle user/customer information by reviewing Adobe's privacy policy.
Can I see the data that is collected before it is sent to Adobe?
No, the information cannot be displayed. This program is designed to work for millions of users without impacting their use of our products, so the data is sent automatically only after you close a product. The data is also encoded so that it can be processed efficiently by our servers. Both the encoding and the transmission timing make it difficult for most users to access and understand the data that is being sent. This is also why limited information is collected, as described in the section "What is the Adobe Product Improvement Program?"
We understand that some of our users would be more comfortable seeing their data before it is transmitted. Since we cannot accommodate this, users who are not comfortable participating without seeing their data should simply choose not to participate.
How long does the program last?
Information is collected as long as you use the product version for which you have agreed to participate or until you decide to stop participating in the program. (See section on "What if I give permission at first and change my mind later?")
Which products support the Adobe Product Improvement Program?
The following products are part of this program:
- Adobe Acrobat 9 family products
- Adobe After Effects CS4
- Adobe Contribute CS4
- Adobe Device Central CS4
- Adobe Dreamweaver CS4
- Adobe Encore CS4
- Adobe Fireworks CS4
- Adobe Flash CS4 Professional
- Adobe Illustrator CS4
- Adobe InCopy CS4
- Adobe InDesign CS4
- Adobe Media Encoder CS4
- Adobe OnLocation CS4
- Adobe Premiere Pro CS4
- Adobe Soundbooth CS4
Is this for all Adobe products?
If you participate, only information about the Adobe product(s) listed in the Adobe Product Improvement dialog box is collected.
How do I say "no"?
Simply select "No, thank you" in the dialog asking you for your permission and then click OK.
What if I give permission at first and change my mind later?
You can choose Help > Adobe Product Improvement Program …at any time. You can then select the "No, thank you" option and stop your participation. After you select this option, data collection and transmission to Adobe will stop for the applicable product(s).
Does Adobe log my IP address?
Yes, Adobe maintains a log of IP addresses, as is standard practice for web servers. The IP address log is not used to identify you as a participant in this program. For more information on IP addresses, please read our Privacy Policy.
