Considering that Win10 has been shown to run an always-on key-logger that reports in to Microsoft every 5 minutes, I think it's safe to call this especially bad

Considering that Win10 has been shown to run an always-on key-logger that reports in to Microsoft every 5 minutes, I think it's safe to call this especially bad. Everything you type, in every application you run, all the time. You can't block this "telemetry" with Windows either. Microsoft has hard coded the DNS entries to bypass HOSTS file checking. Also voice and camera records get sent to Microsoft. None of this is contingent upon having or logging in to your Microsoft account. You don't even have to be using Microsoft features like Cortana or Bing. Microsoft has made the business decision that if you are running their OS, you are using their computer, not yours. They seem to be right that the majority are willing to hand over the keys for a "superior user experience". The only way to prevent 10 from phoning home is either to disconnect it from the Internet, or connect through a dedicated firewall machine which blocks the collection endpoints. Win 10 will still be running that key logger in the background, though. It's built in.