Most of these settings are probably related to Cortana (the new Siri/Google Now like feature in Windows 10). These kind of tools that suggest information to you

Most of these settings are probably related to Cortana (the new Siri/Google Now like feature in Windows 10). These kind of tools that suggest information to you only really work if they have your search and location information. If you turn those options off, I guess the only thing that will be affected will be Cortana. Also, the thing where apps may share a common advertising ID? Sounds invasive, but is actually a tiny step towards more privacy: before, apps (i.e. desktop programs) could access basically any information on your PC: Your name, your address if you entered it anywhere, your contact list, possibly your position. Nowadays, "Modern" apps can only identify you via an pseudonymous ID (if you allow it), unless they have the proper permissions. What does annoy me is that they still obscure these settings, and fail to explain what exactly they are for. At least they made it a bit more obvious in Windows 10 that you can use it without creating a Microsoft account (using a local account). There is a saying in Germany: Nothing is eaten as hot as it is cooked.