@MysTikAL3: Thank you so much for posting that video. I watched the entire video and Her story touched my heart. Not to mention the truth in what She said. :MJ
It sounds to me that most of the tracking and data collection is due to the cloud (OneDrive) and Microsoft Account integration with Windows 10. It should be noted that Windows 10 is not the first Windows OS to track and collect data. Windows 8/8.1 also had data collection through OneDrive, Microsoft Account, Speech Recognition, etc... The way I see it is that although Microsoft clearly wants the majority of its users to use their cloud services, you can still opt out from the data collection and most of the tracking by just using a local account, avoiding cloud services, and not using Cortana. Seriously, how can Cortana even work if it can't share data with Microsoft about you? By removing its ability to collect and share data about you Cortana would essentially have the same intelligence and functionality as Clippy. Microsoft isn't even the first company to do this. Google, Apple, DropBox... they all collect and store your data if you use their cloud services. So, in summary: if you want to have the convenience of syncing settings and data over the cloud, and having a smart and useful Cortana, expect to have your data mined. Otherwise, just use a local account.
Locally? Cortana could store all the data it needs locally and still be able to function properly. That, however, is not possible. Cortana doesn't work without a Microsoft account.
I use a local account. I sign in in the store just to download a couple of free applications I need on my devices, application that do not requires a MS to work and after download I signed out. I sign in also into onedrive where I usually put things I need to be synchronized across all my devices and I put them into encrypted 7z archives to reduce upload/download bandwidth. I disable every single privacy options and Cortona. I looked for hours into ip connections from and to MS servers from/to my devices, and I found only onedrive (which I want to be enabled) and sometimes windows update. So yes, so much spying from Microsoft... But I guess folks here are all with an android/ios/wp devices or something like that, most of folks here use G+ account/facebook/twitter/tumblr/whatever, and I guess here there are gamers using steam/ubiplay/origin ..... And you folks complain about the Windows 10 where you can enable/disable every single net background service that was added since 7/8/8.1? :| You are really insane.
ORLY...You've completely missed the point.... I don't have to make any of these crap changes to my Windows 7, and it's faster and more stable. M$ has ZERO control over my data and Windows updates too, instead of M$ forced updates....sure you can turn them off (for now). I have a perfect start menu as well. Oh, and the start menu in 10 which MS used to entice users to upgrade, it's been said that it's slated to be completely phased out by 2016, again through forced updates. M$ has many plans to completely change the 10 you see now and conform it to THEIR vision, to whatever they want and it will all be forced right down your throat to your new 'free' toy. So enjoy your new toy now, because in time it will morph into M$'s vision of what they want it to be, not yours. Ever changing, always updating, forcing everything you have now into their vision of their cloud control. In a year or so 10 will be unrecognizable to what is is today...MS has a model, and they have a plan, and it's all theirs, so good or bad, you'll be stuck with it. Meanwhile I have at least 5 glorious years left of my fast, clean, stable, and great windows 7...that I paid for. In addition I'm staying with my 2 great windows 7 MCE setups. So why the hell would I choose to put up with all this BS from the new 10 ?! Believe me, I will have much better options sometime down the road besides this free and full of negatives junk they're pushing... So do enjoy your shiny new 10......
Then why do you think they are collecting it? And if they don't care, then they won't care that we're ripping this crap out to make the OS something a person might want to use.
For more explanation: I have been using Linux for a while, till now, and this is really a nice solution; in fact even better than Windows! But sometimes I need Windows (7) for updating my Garmin car navigation system, as "Garmin Express" ONLY mad works with Windows!