I don't see how GA can be classified as malware according to this.
Requiring the user to set an environment variable to opt out is smarmy.
If software compromises my privacy, I feel that I have been betrayed and lost something that I can not take back.
If you don't get to automatically participate in a "anonymous" usage survey, have you lost something you can not undo?
That in my opinion, is why software should always err on the side of privacy.
...anyway, complaining about getting downvoted is a surefire way to keep getting downvoted :P