Can I just continue to not sign in to a Microsoft account and be good? Seems like it’s all tied to that

The Linux evangelists always jump on this stuff without reading the articles. Do not be alarmed by them. This is currently just a beta feature that Microsoft is still testing.

If Microsoft announces that this is going to be forcibly installed on all versions of Windows, then we can grab our pitchforks. Ideally this would end up being an opt-in feature. If it’s an opt-out when they release, again, pitchforks.

For now? Give them feedback if you’re worried, otherwise move on with your day and do nothing.