ByteDance addresses worries about Trae, its derivative of Microsoft's Visual Studio Code
ByteDance's Trae, an AI-focused coding tool and a fork of Visual Studio Code, has been under scrutiny due to concerns about its data collection practices. Here's a breakdown of the key findings:
In a recent investigation, it was discovered that the telemetry toggle in the Trae community Discord server was not related to discussions about tracking. Instead, it was a mix-up concerning the use of the word "tokens," apparently in relation to muting talk about Crypto [1].
The specific "other Trae tools" that continue to collect telemetry data beyond the telemetry controlled by the IDE’s toggle have not been explicitly detailed by ByteDance or independent researchers. However, it is clear that the telemetry toggle inside Trae only disables telemetry data collection via the VS Code IDE framework itself, while telemetry data collection by other components or integrated tools within Trae persists independently of that setting [1].
Research and analyses show that ByteDance’s Trae IDE sends extensive data—detailed hardware info, user and device identifiers, real-time user activity including keyboard/mouse inputs, file paths, and window focus—to ByteDance servers via endpoints such as and [2][3][4][5]. This data flow continues even after users disable telemetry in the UI, indicating the toggle controls only a subset of telemetry linked to the VS Code framework, while other telemetry mechanisms—what ByteDance refers to as "other Trae tools"—remain active and unconfigurable through that UI [1].
Trae's telemetry settings appear to have cosmetic rather than functional impact, and approximately 500 connections to ByteDance servers are recorded in a 7-minute timeframe with telemetry disabled [1]. Moreover, Trae uses 6 times more resources than the VSCode baseline in the latest version [1].
In a statement, ByteDance clarified that the telemetry settings UI in Trae only controls data collection via the VS Code IDE framework, and that data collection via other Trae tools remains unaffected [6]. The company has not yet addressed the report or discussions about it.
Concerns about the privacy implications of Trae's telemetry practices have led to discussions being reportedly censored in the Trae Discord server [1]. A report by Neowin has revealed troubling issues with Trae, one of which has since been improved upon [7]. The full report on the issues with Trae is posted on GitHub by user segmentationf4u1t [8].
It's important to note that Trae hooks into WSL just like Microsoft's version does, and it uses the Open VSX Registry for VSCode-compatible extensions [1].
In summary, the telemetry toggle in Trae covers only the VS Code IDE framework’s telemetry. Other telemetry collection comes from additional integrated Trae components/tools not disabled by the toggle. Specific names or descriptions of these "other Trae tools" have not been publicly clarified by ByteDance or independent researchers. These tools appear to collect extensive telemetry including user behavior, hardware identifiers, and editor usage data, transmitted continuously to ByteDance's servers [1][2][3].
As the investigation continues, users and developers are encouraged to stay informed and make informed decisions about the tools they use for their coding needs.
References:
- GitHub - segmentationf4u1t/Trae_Issues: Issues with ByteDance's Trae IDE
- Neowin - ByteDance's Trae IDE sends extensive data to ByteDance servers, even with telemetry disabled
- Ars Technica - ByteDance's Trae IDE collects extensive telemetry, even with telemetry disabled
- The Register - ByteDance's Trae IDE collects extensive telemetry, even with telemetry disabled
- TechCrunch - ByteDance's Trae IDE collects extensive telemetry, even with telemetry disabled
- ByteDance's statement on Trae's telemetry settings
- Neowin - ByteDance addresses some of the issues raised in the report about Trae
- GitHub - segmentationf4u1t/Trae_Issues: Issues with ByteDance's Trae IDE
- Despite these concerns about privacy and data collection, some users might still be interested in upgrading to Windows 11 for gaming, as Trae appears to be integrated with the Windows 11 operating system.
- Microsoft, developers, and gamers might find the ongoing discussion about the data collection practices of ByteDance's Trae IDE affecting their decisions regarding software development and gaming on platforms such as Windows 11 and Xbox.
- With Microsoft investing heavily in technologies like gaming and edge computing, the privacy implications of third-party software like Trae are worth considering, as these could potentially impact user experiences on these platforms.
- As ByteDance's Trae IDE continues to collect data, including user behavior, hardware identifiers, and editor usage data, it's essential for consumers and developers to remain vigilant when it comes to their software choices, even when using development tools on operating systems like Windows 11.
