I also know what I talking about.
There's a huge difference between personal data and telemetry (troubleshoot) data.
Google gathers your personal data and makes targeted ads, while Microsoft gathers telemetry data to troubleshoot and improve Windows and the rest of their products (which pretty much every company does for the same purpose).
They're entirely different, and I couldn't care less if Microsoft knows I do x clicks to get to y option, I'm more concerned about Google knowing my location and having deals with my credit card supplier for targeted ads without my consent.
As I said before, I'm not going to be paranoid over Microsoft.
Being paranoid over any data collection is pointless. There are people out there that think they are configuring their systems and devices in such a way that their overall data footprint is greatly reduced, and that thinking is just a plain joke. In the U.S., unless you were born out back in the weeds and your parents kept you socked away, you have an extensive digital data record. Go to the doctor ? That leaves an extensive digital record. Buy something with a credit card ? That leaves an extensive digital record that all the credit card vendors, banks and other financial institutions exploit. And there is nothing you can do on your PCs or other digital devices to change or reduce it. Google is not the great data conspirator...
Nope. They aren't different one bit. Data harvesting and profit derived from it always has one common denominator... and that is your data is exploited, and that invariably involves what most people consider invasion of privacy. It's been proven time-and-again. Decade after decade.
Microsoft is one of the biggest data harvesters - and a lot of it is not telemetry associated with Windows.
Microsoft notoriously tracks user locations.
Microsoft has tageted advertising right in Outlook, Explorer and the Start Menu in Windows 10... and that is all based upon personal data harvesting. And they do sell or share your personal data with their partners. If anyone bothers to read the agreements Microsoft states that they will do it as they see fit. And that means if they want to share and use your data in ways you find objectionable, they are going to do it whether you like it or not. And they do just that every single day. That is why organizations have repeatedly taken positions against Microsoft over the decades.
When you use Internet Explorer and Edge, Microsoft is collecting every bit the same amount of data as Google does when you are using Chrome. And Microsoft utilizes it in the same manner as does Google. And they do this all without you consciously consenting by default.
They collect data via their browsers, via their online services, via Microsoft Office, etc, etc. Then they make targeted ads. They use various advertising platforms... some of them the same as Google uses. Adify for example.