Wacom Intuos Pro
The claim: Wacom's tablet software is a focused creative tool that doesn't monitor unrelated computer activity.
by Wacom
✓ Evidence agrees · Well sourced (5 sources)
By PixPause Editorial · 2 min read · Verified September 13, 2026
Wacom's Intuos Pro driver software was found in February 2020 to silently log and transmit the name of every application users opened while the driver ran, disclosed only inside a privacy policy rather than through clear consent.
Make your guess on the slip to reveal the answer- "Wacom's tablet software is a focused creative tool that doesn't monitor unrelated computer activity."✕ FALSE
BUYING THE HYPE
▸ HYPE VS REALITY
Wacom positions its Intuos Pro drivers and companion software as professional creative tools focused purely on pen input and pressure sensitivity, without disclosing that the driver software also monitored which other applications users had open on their computer.
In February 2020, software engineer Robert Heaton discovered and published that Wacom's tablet drivers silently logged the name of every application a user opened while the tablet driver was running, and transmitted that data to Google Analytics for tracking. The behavior was disclosed only inside Wacom's 'Wacom Experience Program' privacy policy, which most users never read closely, rather than through a clear, specific consent prompt. Wacom's response was that the data was collected only in aggregate and anonymized, and that the company 'cannot relate to any specific users' -- but it did not dispute that the app-tracking itself was occurring. The story was widely reported by outlets including The Register, Sophos, and PetaPixel in February 2020, and Wacom subsequently made the tracking easier for users to find and disable.
A pen tablet driver has no functional need to know which other apps you have open, and burying that data collection inside a program's privacy policy rather than a clear prompt is a real transparency failure, not a technicality. Wacom's own defense -- that the data was anonymized and aggregated -- doesn't address why the tracking existed in the first place or why it wasn't disclosed plainly. Multiple independent security outlets confirmed the behavior; this wasn't a single blogger's misunderstanding.
This verdict would change if new, independently verifiable evidence emerged directly supporting the claim "Wacom's tablet software is a focused creative tool that doesn't monitor unrelated computer activity." — evidence stronger than what's currently on record contradicting it.
▸ CLAIM CHECK
- The Register — Wacom's tablet drivers were found to silently log and transmit the name of every application opened while the driver was running, disclosed only inside a privacy policy rather than a clear consent prompt.
Scorecard AI opinion ⓘ
▸ THE EVIDENCE ON YOUTUBE
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▸ FAQ
Did Wacom tablets really track what other apps you use?
Yes. Software engineer Robert Heaton discovered in February 2020 that Wacom's drivers logged the name of every application opened while the tablet driver was running and sent that data to Google Analytics, disclosed only inside a privacy policy.
Did Wacom fix the app-tracking issue?
Wacom defended the practice as anonymized and aggregated data collection rather than removing it outright, but made the opt-out setting easier for users to find after the February 2020 reporting.