Yeah, this and another thing that annoys me basically itch me to start a fork (I connect once a month to a known server, so I'm in the target group of people who would complain about update nags and the security argument is moot in my case). There is another warning about an expired security certificate I can do nothing about - a few years ago I could just add it to exceptions but not anymore, I need to click a few times more. These are just little annoyances but at some point someone will get upset and actually start the fork - the software is very mature so basically I don't care about any new features, I want to use it as I did 10 years ago :)

Semiauto-updates is a potential way for them to bundle spyware or sell to some even worse spyware vendor and infect the users' computers.

I always assume autoupdates (or nagging to update without options to turn the nagging off) is hostile code.

Update checks can be disabled. Either this was so long ago that nobody remembers, or you're lying. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and presume you aren't the latter.

Thanks, gracious of you.

I can smell that sarcasm, so to further prove my point: https://imgur.com/mN3REpq

So unless what you're saying is that the setting is not obeyed or doesn't work as it implies, you're either working off ancient memory or lying and I don't necessarily have reason to believe you are the latter.