I've had the same experiences also , for many years .... all positive ... Irie even ... The recent history of privacy issues , for me , are Ubuntu problems specifically , and not GNU/Linux problems generally.
Removing zeitgeist-core, broke gnome-session-flashback 3.18.2-1 for me. Disable zeitgeist-core, and gnome-session-flashback 3.18.2-1 works fine for me. Removing zeitgeist zeitgeist-core zeitgeist-datahub, WILL BREAK Ubuntu 16.04.
Actually the days when Ubuntu used to be according to the community's wishes are over. Now it's dictated by Canonical Inc. Today's Ubuntu is Mint.
Which Office version has no spying? Which Office version is safe to use without all the telemetry and spying rubbish introduced after Windows 10? Since Office 2016 was released after Windows 10 is it safe to assume Office 2016 contains keylogger and sends all your documents to MS? Does Office 2013 and 2010 do the same after updates? What updates to avoid?
Just use a firewall to block Office apps from connecting to the internet. IMHO, too many users using Office apps, MS doesn't have time to spy the contents of users' documents.
Good idea, I thought OpenOffice and LibreOffice are for Linux only, did not know they are available for Windows too. But then why are people using Microsoft Office instead of OpenOffice and LibreOffice? The firewall idea is not so good, one naughty update from Microsoft to redirect Office traffic through svchost and it is over. And yes Microsoft wants all your documents, it is funded partly by the NSA.