So this is a ~3 years old article, and nobody noticed the "mess" in the 'Disable Windows 10 telemetry' section?!?
Maybe things have changed since that time (I only recently switched to this version) and the article has not been properly updated..
But, the GP edit that you recommend (disable) is equal to not configuring it, so it does nothing. The registry key you associate with this tip is the problem, though (also, it's not the equivalent to 'disable' in GP). And You're not the only one who misunderstands it, since it's present in most tweaking tools and articles available.
This key, sets (from 0 to 3) the level of telemetry sent to MS, where '0' is enterprise and '3' is full report. Setting this to '0' will have one of two undesired effects.
- either this setting will be ignored altogether for a non-enterprise license
- or, windows will skip quality updates and stick (mostly) to security ones, giving the enterprise identity set by this setting
Microsoft DOES read telemetry to determine the necessary updates.
The whole idea of tweaking the OS for privacy in a non enterprise environment is ridiculous anyway. It's like expecting to be able to configure a smartphone for privacy.., despite a couple of deep buried switches that tell you it's doable, it isn't.
The only reason to "tweak" the OS is for personal preference (UI layout, productivity, removing annoyances, etc) and performance (for those with old hardware, like me).
Sticking to Win 7 for privacy reasons is also silly. There are good reasons to stick with it (usability, performance, etc), but privacy isn't one of them. The only reason it collects slightly less information is because of fewer integrated functions/apps (phone, gaming, social stuff, etc). The push to windows 10 has more to do with the removal of expectation of privacy than privacy itself (also with saving money, since the end user becomes the tester of new "features"). User activity collection is not something new...
