Microsoft Office and Google Docs are examples of applications that require internet access and report information about the user to the software provider. That

Microsoft Office and Google Docs are examples of applications that require internet access and report information about the user to the software provider. That provider in turn can share that information with advertisers. That is a trade-off that not everybody is willing to make. There are applications like Etherpad, WebODF (supplied with packages like ownCloud) that make it possible to work from the browser but on a server that you can choose. Even desktop applications can be used in this way via LibreOffice Online or open365.io.