Windows 10, in normal usage and typical configurations, will send quite a lot of information to Microsoft. Windows 8, in normal usage and typical configurations, will also send quite a lot of information to Microsoft. On the other side of the fence, OS X, in normal usage and typical configurations, will send some information to Apple. It’s hard to imagine a modern day operating system that doesn’t do this, at least to some extent.

For example, Windows, OS X, iOS, and Android all sport app stores. Buying from those app stores requires payment information, typically including a name, address, and credit card number. Those stores may have age-based restrictions, so might require a date of birth. Those purchases are, of course, tracked, to both ensure that developers get paid and that popularity lists can be constructed.

Different platforms have different twists on this. The iOS App Store, for example, can show you apps that are popular nearby; it must be recording some location data when purchases are made so it can make this correlation. Windows 10 goes in a different direction. It includes personalized “Picks for you” and can suggest particular apps, based on their similarity to apps that have been previously installed. This currently doesn’t seem very intelligent; it will sometimes recommend apps that are already installed.