By that logic, Ubuntu performs a connectivity check behind the scenes polling connectivity-check.ubuntu.com every few mins to detect if internet connectivity ha

By that logic, Ubuntu performs a connectivity check behind the scenes polling connectivity-check.ubuntu.com every few mins to detect if internet connectivity has been lost. I do not recollect seeing any opt-in Privacy prompt enabling this feature. Surely an OS can function without the internet so it's not "essential to its functioning". Same with Firefox's captive portal check [1] that helps determine if a Wifi network requires a web-based sign-in or acceptance of terms of use. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captive_portal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captive_portal