> Maybe I'm not rational but I'm much more worried about Microsoft having access to my data than some random "Russian" hacker.

Russian hackers, past, present and future, routinely steal information and use it against the victim, whether we're talking about individuals or corporations. And I'm just talking about login credentials or credit card information, nevermind more personal data like phones or even intellectual property.

Microsoft hasn't done any of that, as far as I am aware.

Yes, that does not exactly strike me as a rational stance to take. Are you actually more worried about Microsoft blackmailing you about those photos from 4 years ago?

No, but i'd be worried about a government with power to control Microsoft using such information in a negative way.

Basically this scenario comes to mind :

a) A power change occurs within a government. This power change facilitates the changing of laws.

b) A corporation with massive stores of information about individuals is within this government.

c) New government doesn't like X people because they aren't Y people. New government coerces corporation within legal boundaries to fess up data on X people.

d) New government does horrible things using list provided by and facilitated by corporation, through no direct fault of that corporation other than the happenstance of existing within a country with ever-changing laws and regulation.

But surely almost all of the above, while theoretically a possible future issue in the USA, is day-to-day reality in Russia and China already.

Presumably the commenter is physically out of reach of the Russian and Chinese governments, and being the victim of regime change in the US is more likely than being invaded by the other two.

I don't live in Russia or China. I'm not worried about their governments not liking me.

Government could as easily control Red Hat, for example.

You may be aware that since Trump, when you're not a US citizen, you have no rights to privacy. Everything Microsoft collect about the rest of the world is fair game. IIANM this feature was introduced with the patriot act update.

"Since Trump"? The most recent rev to that law was last year. Obama didn't leave office until this one.

yup! Since trump[1]. As I said IIRC this feature has been introduced with the patriot act. At least out of US, privacy oriented online companies put forward that they are outside patriot act jurisdiction.

[1]: https://www.engadget.com/2017/01/26/trump-signs-executive-or...

Ah, I see. That is a thing Trump did, but has no relationship with the "USA PATRIOT Act", hence my confusion.

Well, I'm worried about Microsoft knowing who I am. It's hard to get legitimate Windows installs that aren't linked to non-anonymous payment methods. Not impossible, but hard.

Take cash, buy computer at retailer...

Sure. Except that I don't want another computer. Just an OS to install. What's hard to get anonymously is the license.

Take cash, go to retailer and buy prepaid visa card, buy digital license using that card.

Hope retailer has no CCTV. Hope town has no CCTV. Leave phone at home.

It depends how deep your desire for annonimity is...

Don't post online either, unless you are able to alter your writing style often. Passed writings linked to your profile will be used to try to identify you.

It all depends on your threat model and how wanted you are as a target.

It helps to be multilingual :)

Why? Surely using two multiple languages competently is a fingerprinting characteristic? Unless you manage to use them only in different contexts in different hardware...

Different hardware, VMs, VPNs, Tor, etc, and combinations thereof.

Government and the police state are already abusing access to our personal information in awful ways. Sometimes that means cops stalking people whom they have a grudge against, or even a love interest in(1). CEOs of major companies leave their cell phones outside of important meetings.

1 - (https://jezebel.com/5887363/creepy-cops-use-dmv-database-to-...

I'm not worried about Microsoft having access to my data, but I am worried about Microsoft having access to everyone's data.

And I'm worried about who MS is giving my data to