Most Linux distributions are also easier to audit than commercial operating systems and some go as far as encouraging it. While this is optional and requires a

Most Linux distributions are also easier to audit than commercial operating systems and some go as far as encouraging it. While this is optional and requires a deeper understanding of what you're looking at, it does not require handing control over to a third-party (including the vendor). You can choose to trust the vendor by clicking a button, you can use integrated tools to choose what is done and when it is done, you can use those tools to audit what is done before it is done, or you can audit it down to the source code level. This is a far cry from Apple, Google, and Microsoft's approach where you have very little control and what little control you do have is complex to access.