Windows 10, in theory, allows its users to go into its settings to disable the operating system from sending information to Microsoft. However, a new look into Windows 10 shows that, even with this kind of effort by users, the OS is still connecting and communicating with Microsoft servers.
As Ars Technica reports, some of the information that is being sent seems to be harmless, with no machine identification being transmitted to Microsoft. However, there is other data that's being sent to Microsoft that is not as clear:
"Windows 10 will periodically send data to a Microsoft server named ssw.live.com. This server seems to be used for OneDrive and some other Microsoft services. Windows 10 seems to transmit information to the server even when OneDrive is disabled and logins are using a local account that isn't connected to a Microsoft Account. The exact nature of the information being sent isn't clear—it appears to be referencing telemetry settings—and again, it's not clear why any data is being sent at all."
In a statement, Microsoft said:
"As part of delivering Windows 10 as a service, updates may be delivered to provide ongoing new features to Bing search, such as new visual layouts, styles and search code. No query or search usage data is sent to Microsoft, in accordance with the customer's chosen privacy settings. This also applies to searching offline for items such as apps, files and settings on the device."
Source: Ars Technica
