Video summary
The video argues that attempting to strip telemetry from Windows is an ineffective long-term solution because Microsoft frequently re-enables disabled features through updates or by adding new endpoints that bypass existing firewall rules. The speaker compares this futile struggle to entering a relationship with someone full of red flags, suggesting that while users can play the game of constantly fixing and disabling tools, they are ultimately fighting against a system designed to push subscriptions and services. Blocking all updates is presented as a dangerous alternative that would leave the operating system vulnerable to unpatched security holes, making the effort to debloat Windows a losing battle against an ecosystem that prioritizes its own commercial interests over user privacy.
As a viable alternative, the speaker examines Apple's macOS, noting that while it still collects some data, users have significantly more control and can opt out of most tracking features without needing complex scripts or local accounts. Although Apple is not considered perfect, especially given its closed-source nature which means updates could theoretically worsen privacy issues, the level of telemetry is far less intrusive than on Windows. The speaker highlights that many Apple services process data locally rather than sending it to the cloud, and even when data is transmitted, it is not strictly tied to a specific user account in the same aggressive manner as Microsoft's ecosystem.
For those seeking greater privacy and control, Linux distributions like Ubuntu and Pop!_OS are presented as superior options because they do not require mandatory online accounts or forced telemetry collection. While Ubuntu does check for Snap packages and offers optional Pro subscriptions for live patching, these features are opt-in rather than default behaviors. In contrast, Pop!_OS is described as extremely minimal, sending almost no data beyond basic connectivity checks and OS release verification. The speaker acknowledges that the primary reason many users remain on Windows is compatibility with specific games or applications, but notes that the gaming landscape on Linux has improved significantly, offering a robust alternative for those willing to switch away from the proprietary Windows environment.
Read the full video transcript
You can't de-bloat your way out of
Windows telemetry. I'm aware there's an
entire genre of scripts and videos out
there promising to strip telemetry out
of Windows 11. De-bloat this, disable
that, block these 50 things, and they
probably work until they don't, which is
because Windows loads an update and
quietly some of what you turned off
comes back on. Or Microsoft adds an
endpoint that wasn't on your firewall
block list because they didn't exist
when you built the block list, so now
that needs to be updated as well. And
before someone says, "Just block all the
updates." Sure, you could, but that
would leave you with an operating system
full of unpatched security holes, and I
really don't recommend that. I feel like
choosing Windows and then trying to
strip the telemetry out of it is like
getting into a relationship with a stack
of red flags convinced you can fix them.
And look, if you're into that, go for
it. I'm not here to yuck on your yum.
It's a fun game people like to play.
Now, I didn't make this video just to
complain about Windows, but to take a
closer look at the alternatives. I want
to start off by talking about the Apple
that I'm using right now, the Mac
Studio. This is what I use for my
content creation recording and then
video editing using DaVinci Resolve. I
choose to have an Apple account on this.
It is not required. And that's where the
distinction really starts separating
from Windows because I know there's
methodologies you can use to create a
local account on Windows, but boy, it's
some steps. And I know someone's going
to say, "But it's easy. You just load
this tool and that tool." But then it
bugs you unless you remove the
telemetries. I think it wants you to
sign up for an account all the time in
Windows now. It's really annoying. It's
not something Microsoft wants you to do.
So, back to the If you like playing the
game of I can fix it, well, that's one
of the challenges you face. Versus
Apple, as of here in July of 2026, you
can still set an Apple laptop up and
load it without having a account with
Apple at all. You can buy the device,
you can own the device, you can just get
updates for the device. I did choose, as
I said, to put an account on it. And I
made a list here, and this is a forum
post that I'll leave linked, of all the
places it that out to. Pretty much what
you might expect when you have an Apple
account, you know, software update
checks, time sync, certificate
revocation, kind of the standard
plumbing things that you expect out of a
Mac. Now, for those of you wanting to
know, can you lock the Mac down even
further? Or is there a bunch of scripts
you have to use for that? Actually, this
was a good post by Michael titled, "Yes,
your Mac is spying on you." So, yes,
there is some level of data they do, but
and this is a big butt, there are ways
to opt out of it. You can go through and
not use Spotlight search, you can turn
these things off. And he talks about
what it does send. It's actually not a
lot of data that Apple sends, nothing
compared to Microsoft, but nonetheless,
for those of you that are critical like
myself and I imagine people who choose
to watch this video, if you're using
things like Siri dictation and all that,
which I don't use any of, this can all
be turned off. There's privacy settings
to say, "Stop doing all this." And a lot
of the things on Apple do lean locally
as in they are using the local
processing to get things done as in not
sending as much data out. And Apple does
claim a lot to be, well, not tying this
ID to you. So, they're not going, "Hey,
this data that went is specifically tied
to that iTunes account that you signed
in." Or if you don't sign into an
account with Apple, they're still not
tying it to you or trying to tie it to
you in some way. I believe them to an
extent, but take it with a grain of
salt. This is still a closed source
operating system, and it's a cat and
mouse game. Nothing near like it is in
Windows, so I think this is probably for
the average normal person going, "Can I
just use a computer that doesn't
absolutely do atrocious things to my
privacy?" I think Apple is in the
kind of okay category. I don't think
they're a great company. I'm not
encouraging everyone to run out and get
Apple, but for like the normal person
who doesn't want to deal with any type
of the complexities that might come with
Linux, Apple is not the absolute worst.
Microsoft has that category locked in.
But of course, the next questions that
come up are, "What about Ubuntu?" or
"What about Pop!_OS?" Because those are
two other operating systems I use. I use
Ubuntu from time to time on it as a
desktop OS, which will enrage the Linux
nerds. Apparently, that I mentioned it
was enough to get them leaving a lot of
comments of they don't think Ubuntu is
the proper choice. Linux people can be
rather polarizing. I do use Pop! OS as
well. But let's talk about what they
reach out to. Now, first, there's no
online account that needs to be set up
at all for Ubuntu or Pop! OS. Now,
Ubuntu, when you set it up, does check
their Snap Store. Snaps are packages
essentially that can be loaded on the
system, so it goes and checks the Snap
packages, and they have essentially like
a store that you can go and load the
apps from. So, these are all the
different calls that are going out to
there. Then you have the package change
log data for update tooling, Ubuntu Pro
subscription. There is a Pro
subscription option with Ubuntu that
allows you live patching and some other
updates. Once again, that's why it
checks the live patch and the expanded
security maintenance repos for Ubuntu
Pro. These are the Ubuntu Pro account
checks. It just looks to see if you have
them. If it validates, it'll do those.
Pop! OS, on the other hand, is really
minimal. This is the more common you'll
see for a lot of different Linux
distributions, where there's just not
any data being sent back other than it
checks for captive portal with a
connectivity check, and then it checks
the back end for OS releases and the Pop
Shop. That's it. There's nothing else
going on in Pop! OS. And once again,
local account and no way to create like
an online Pop! OS account. They don't
have that. They don't have a way to even
tie you to this Pop! OS install that you
did. This is a very different ecosystem
once you get into Linux. And I'm not
going to say there's no telemetry for
any distribution. And for example, even
in Ubuntu, it does ask you if you would
like to share some data with them, but
that is an opt-in option that you have
to choose to opt in. It does not opt in
by default. There's no such options at
all in Pop! OS, and many other
distributions don't have this either.
Now, I I a lot of people don't just use
Windows because they're familiar with
the operating system. It's usually
because the application they want to use
only works in Windows, games being a
really big category. Now, there's been a
lot of work to get games over to Linux,
and I find my gaming experience on my
Linux laptop to be quite good. And that
is good for me, but it may not be the
right answer for you because if you
don't like the same games I like, and
you have a game that only supports
Windows, well, that's going to be a
challenge, and I don't really have a
solution for that problem right now.
Also, I don't have any particular script
I recommend because I just don't use
them. I abandoned Windows in 2009, and I
only have done it as a business support
product, as in when I was running my MSP
before I sold off that side of the
business, I helped a lot of people
manage their Windows computers and
manage all the Windows updates. So, I
never used any particular like
customized, remove bloatware type of
scripts from Windows. We would use the
Windows business editions and load our
own telemetry software on there so we
can monitor and manage systems. So, goes
outside of my knowledge of these scripts
that are generally for people even like
myself who are much more
privacy-oriented, which is why I've
always run Linux, and why I moved away
from Windows so many years ago. But,
nonetheless, love hearing from all of
you. Leave your thoughts and comments
down below. Are you considering
switching to Linux? Is
one last straw the telemetry, or was it
the shoving in of Copilot, or whatever
else might make you want to leave the
Windows world? Always curious. Always
curious to those of you that want to
stay in the Windows world and fight the
good fight, and keep those scripts
going, and you know, debloating Windows
is certainly a pain because there's
always some stupid thing they're
stuffing in there or driving you crazy
with, like, "Hey, you should sign up for
this or that." Or whatever service
they're trying to push because it's kind
of like an operating system that is an
advertisement to sell more subscription
services for them. Anyways, I'll leave
those rants for the comments. Let me
know on that. Hit me up on the forums at
forums.lawrencesystems.com.
You'll find a link to the forum post I
I'm reading that telemetry data from and
that Mac article for those of you that
say, "Maybe Mac is okay." And like I
said, as of right now, Mac is okay, but
okay is all I would give it. I use it
for media creation, but that's really
it. It's got really good at video
editing, but I don't really trust it.
It's a closed source operating system
and you're an update away from them
becoming, well, much worse and going
more like Microsoft. I don't know if
they will. I'm just saying you're
dealing with a closed source operating
system that could go that way. Let me
know. Thanks.
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