Hi leo !
I'm glad to see you active again on the forum.
It is not for security reasons that I suspended IPservicesTime.
This is because of this bug affecting the stability of program:
https://rejetto.com/forum/index.php?topic=13234 Two users also reported this problem to me.
This bug seems solved now ... my "workaround" was a very bad idea which poses more problems than it solves.
I delete the release ... I post a "r10" which will be the same as the "r8", as soon as possible, for those who have already downloaded the "r9".
About your idea of "stealth mode", I'm a little doubtful.
The options requiring an external server are essential for some users. Those who think otherwise have the "option" of not using them, or disabling most of them.
I see some posts at the moment about "external services", which disappear or are edited again and again ... until the answers given by those who take the time to answer them become incomprehensible.
The "ephemeral" posts are a bit annoying from my point of view.
All this to say that I do not see (even making an effort in paranoid mode
) how the use of an external server for updates, searching for public ip, etc., could compromise security from the server right now. Blocking updates, seems to me possibly more damaging at the "security" level.