>Microsoft monitoring is opt-in, not opt-out. <snip>

This is also such nonsense - just install Windows 7 or Windows 8 with an outbound firewall (Comodo, Eset, whatever) and just see how many calls are made to MS and not one of them ask you to opt-in or out of whatever it is they are sending back home.

Just insert a USB device and immediately the firewall pops up saying that something in Windows OS wants to talk to MS again - why? What does MS need to know about whatever device I insert into my laptop? And where's the opt-out ??

Just install any package and see how each time the installer (if InstallShield) immediately wants to contact MS.

Just run any Metro / Modern app and it immediately calls MS without asking me anything.

Just Google (sorry Bing) for "How can I opt out of Windows Customer Experience?" and see how many people are participating as a default setting without ever having been asked if they want to opt-in.

Smartscreen filter calls home and tells MS every package you download and are trying to install - it is on by default, not opt-in - http://log.nadim.cc/?p=78

Summary: Windows 8 will, by default, inform Microsoft of every app downloaded and installed by every user. This puts Microsoft in a compromising, omniscient situation where they are capable of retaining information on the application usage of all Windows 8 users, thus posing a serious privacy concern. The user is not informed of this while installing and setting up Windows 8, even though they are given the option to disable SmartScreen (which is enabled by default.)

You really need to drink less MS Koolaid Craig.