Very interesting info, but they own the OS and in some cases the compiler: https://www.infoq.com/news/2016/06/visual-cpp-telemetry

Given that, I don't care to engage in whack a mole with them. They have the upper hand.

Safe for visual studio and visual studio code users to assume that the IDEs are sending telemetry too.

In my case the best thing is to avoid the OS. And github and whatever else their malign influence could eventually own.