Brand new computer, want it pared down

bobkn, i think it depends upon what you define as a keylogger. Microsoft does track typing patterns and such for better speech and inking support. They have moved around the option to disable this if you are uncomfortable with it
Windows 10 "keylogger" setting moved in Windows 10 Spring Creators Update - gHacks Tech News

So, do they have a keylogger that is intentially capturing your logon details with your username and password and storing it in some mystery folder used to spy directly on you and sell to nefarious individuals? Not likely.

Is it entirely possible that if you scoured the full contents of everything Microsoft has ever captured that you could potentially find your password in this database? It's entirely possible, I would think.

Do I worry about these things? Nope.
Would I feel somebody else were crazy for being concerned about these things? Nope.
Would I tell my friends and family to immediately disable this stuff while wearing my tinfoil hat. Nope.

badcrc said:

Maybe I have a different version to you

My apologies... I thought you meant an actual box or group. You're quite right about the 'Disable telemetry' toggle entry.

Just be aware that this particular toggle switch primarily affects the DiagTrack service (a.k.a. Connected User Experiences and Telemetry service) by changing the service's Start value and amending diagnostics logging by WMI. (It also affects the dmwappushservice service... which - in turn - is reported to affect SysPrep.)

This particular toggle switch does not disable all telemetry just by itself.

I do not blame you in the least. I to just got a newer laptop, the person I bought it from is an IT tech and restored the laptop to factory setting, to which when I brought it home, I immediately did a clean install of 1909, and turned off all of the telemetry crap, I do not use google at all, plus I use the TOR browser and a VPN from the middle east. No government has any authority to be able to access anything I do, and on my iphone and ipad, I have eliminated the covid-19 tracker app, not just shut it off, I paid a tech I know who knows ios programming to completely remove that SPYWARE. I have asked that same tech to immediately let me know if a covid-19 tracking app is ever installed on windows 10 so I can have him TOTALLY REMOVE IT, I do not care to know if I was exposed\and would not follow precautions if it notified me.

Brian1230 said:

(snip)

... plus I use the TOR browser and a VPN from the middle east.

(snip)

How confident are you that the VPN provider isn't looking at your data?

I am very confident that the VPN provider is not looking at my data, the person who recommended it to me is super security concious because of his connections with people.

absolutely

pparks1 said:

.
Would I tell my friends and family to immediately disable this stuff while wearing my tinfoil hat. Nope.

Amazon sell tinfoil hats - type 'emf protection hat' in the search box.