January 5, 2026
Calculator calls the money people
Gnome calculator pings the International Monetary Fund website
Relax: it's just checking cash rates—turn it off if you want offline
TLDR: GNOME Calculator connects to the International Monetary Fund to refresh currency exchange rates. Commenters mostly laughed at privacy worries, saying this is normal for money conversions, while pragmatic voices added: if you don’t need it, switch off the refresh setting or block the app—no secret spying here.
The Internet did a double take when GNOME Calculator was seen pinging the International Monetary Fund — no, not the Mission Impossible crew but the global money organization. Turns out the app has an “exchange rate refresh” setting to fetch currency rates. Privacy hawks rolled their eyes and reached for the tin foil, while pragmatists replied with a collective shrug.
The top quip nailed the mood: “App showing currency exchange has to look up currency rates. News at 11,” said bawolff, turning the panic into a punchline. Another commenter, anthk, chimed in that Qalculate does the same, reminding everyone this is common for calculators with currency features. The vibe: it’s a feature, not a conspiracy.
Still, the thread birthed memes about the calculator “calling the money people” and jokes about accountants in trench coats. The practical crowd advised flipping the switch off or going fully offline: disable the refresh setting or block the app. For anyone new to acronyms, IMF means International Monetary Fund, the organization that publishes currency data. GNOME’s little math app just wanted fresh numbers, not your secrets. Calm down, spy movie fans — this is just how money conversions stay accurate. And you can turn it off.
Key Points
- •GNOME Calculator connects to the International Monetary Fund website.
- •This behavior is linked to the app’s currency exchange functionality.
- •An “Exchange rate refresh interval” setting controls rate update frequency.
- •Users can disable the setting to keep the calculator offline.
- •Blocking the calculator app is another option to prevent network access.