If you use the privacy respecting Gboard alternative called FUTO keyboard, you’ve probably noticed that the built in swipe typing is HOT GARBAGE. (Typing this currently with two thumbs for this exact reason.)
Most keyboards improve their swipe algorithms by simply spying on you and logging your typing data. FUTO isn’t about that, so they have built a simple webpage based typing game that you can use to improve their system in an ethical and voluntary manner! Just swipe the website’s keyboard to type a provided sentence.
I love this, they can crowdsource the improvement without invading privacy!
Share with any relevant communities you’re a part of. The more data, the better this gets.
Just did 1,010 words!
Found out that the skip button skips the word, not the prompt.
Pitched in 100 words! Definitely some open source swiping keyboard gesture databases would be helpful for everyone.
Agreed! I use Heliboard but am glad you pitch in some words.
That’s a neat solution
I thought so too! FUTO is a project worth supporting in my opinion.
Isn’t FUTO an organization that named their keyboard application after themselves?
FUTO was the joke naming we’d use for files in an old job as there was this one guy who’s files were always “FileName-Final” or “FileName-Final2” or “FileName-UseThisOne”. So FUTO (Final Use This One) became the name for the most up to date versions
They should simply allow collecting this data via opt-in. I’d gladly provide it, but I don’t want it to be opt-out, because then this feels sneaky.
I don’t think the keyboard does that, it’s a dedicated webpage you visit to help improve it
Yes, that’s the point of my reply. I’m saying it should be built into the keyboard and not just a website, if that wasn’t clear.
The entire point of the keyboard is that it’s not built in. The philosophy behind the organization making it says that it shouldn’t be built in.
Nowhere in their site does it say such a thing, and I think you’re interpreting it the way you want to believe it.
They simply say that people should have control over their information.
I agree. That’s why it should be built into the keyboard, and ONLY activated if the user opts-in. If they don’t, then they will be cutting off their nose, in order to spite their face.
Users will gladly contribute, so long as the path to contribution is the least painful it can be. Opting in via the keyboard app is the only reasonable route to do this; not via some website.
You’re welcome to read their beliefs here: https://futo.org/about/what-does-futo-believe/
We expect FUTO companies to have an honest relationship with their customers. Ideally revenue comes from customers paying directly for the services provided by the company. “The users are our product” revenue models such as those employed by Facebook and Google are prohibited.
If the data needed to help improve swipe accuracy goes to helping improve the product, and is not sold and used as a business model - then that is perfectly within reasonable use of the data as explained by their beliefs page.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.futo.inputmethod.latin.playstore
Your keyboard shouldn’t connect to the internet.
We believe that if your computer keyboard doesn’t ask for internet access, neither should your mobile keyboard. FUTO Keyboard is a modern keyboard app with voice input that is completely offline and never connects to the internet, in order to ensure your privacy and security.
You’re missing the whole anonymization layer they’ve implemented here. If actual typing data is used, the app can’t guarantee user control of the data after opt-in. The data they’re using here is not private user typing data to begin with.
I’d recommend listening to Louis Rossman’s talks on the subject.
I’m not missing anything, I’m one of Louis Rossman’s Patreon members. I work in the same field as he does (or, well, used to, technically).
The only data they’re collecting is what swipe pattern coincides with which word. You swipe, it mispredicts, you choose the word that it should have been, and poof - a library of swiped shapes -> word gets created.
It doesn’t violate privacy, it’s anonymized, and it helps improve the system for others.
There’s no reason to go to the extent you claim they must.
Ok cool, but I’ll still support this initiative, because as FUTO states, a keyboard should not connect to the internet.
That would require a lot of data privacy concerns to be addressed. Even if it’s an explicit opt-in. The current method uses sample text which can’t include PII. Using user supplied text would almost guarantee they’d get names and other PII in their data set.
I also imagine it’s harder to train the model when you don’t know exactly what the user was trying to type. I.e. Was the swipe detection wrong, or did the user delete the word because they changed their mind on what to write?
Although I don’t use FUTO keyborad, I don’t think collecting typing data is a problem, as long as it is done locally. There shouldn’t be a binary choice between privacy and better user experience.
The one thing I really don’t like about it, that really prevents me from using the keyboard is that when I misspell something, and it autocorrects, and then I want to add something else to it, hitting the backspace key removes the autocorrection, with no way to disable it (at least from what I’ve seen), I cannot stand that, which is why I’ve still been using gboard, but without network permissions because I’m on GrapheneOS.
Try Heliboard! It allows you to customise that
Now at this point I think I’m just being picky, but I don’t want the toolbar either.
Edit: I have still yet to find an open-sourced keyboard app that does exactly what I’m looking for.
I just gave them 500 new data samples. :) My thumb is sore.
qwerty only it seems
And I’ve just gotten used to Dvorak…
They’re probably getting this part of the project started, and might go for more once this works
I’m on iOS, but I gave it a few minutes of swiping to help out.
I’ve never used swipe typing, so my data is probably garbage, but its kinda fun.
As are a bunch of other people. It helps.
You can get so fast at it surprisingly quickly. I keep trying to get friends to do it but they’re like “Nah that sucks.”
I swear almost anyone can get good at it inside a week.
Data is data! You’re a use case, regardless of swipe ability.
Please everybody do this. This is sure to help other keyboards, too.
Is it? The FTL is restrictive about who is allowed to redistribute and modify anything covered by it. Is this data covered under a different license?
This is so cool, as someone who uses swipe all the time, I’ll be sure to send as many samples as I can
Would love to help, but they need a way more optimized site or a faster server, whichever is causing the slowness. Waited a full minute and barely got the keyboard to load.
Pretty sure I hugged it to death with the post. Was working fine for the last couple of days.
Worked fine for me. Might just have been the first rush.
Cool, I will help too.
