Wacom Intuos Pro VS Elgato Stream Deck MK.2
Verdict DROP IT BUY IT
The Reality 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. Independent reviews consistently back up the reliability framing. GamesRadar+ and PCWorld both describe it as a near-must-have for streamers, citing its sturdy plastic body and Elgato's characteristic build-quality finish. Reviewers specifically credit the software's maturity and broad plugin compatibility -- rather than just the hardware -- as what makes it dependable in daily use across streaming, podcasting, video editing, and general productivity workflows, without a documented pattern of the kind of recurring software or hardware failures found in some competing creator hardware.
SHORT ANSWER
Wacom Intuos Pro: 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.
Elgato Stream Deck MK.2: Elgato's claim that the Stream Deck MK.2 is a reliable, dependable control surface for creators is consistently backed up by independent reviews across multiple outlets, citing sturdy build quality and mature, broadly compatible software.