&quot;A step away&quot; = still there. You&#x27;re just being contrarian.<p>&quot;Not so.&quot; Prove it. Linux still shows your communications on plaintext online by default. They have zero days in popular apps and kernel for Linux. They have attacks below firmware if you get clever with OS security. So, no, using Linux by itself doesn&#x27;t change anything for bulk collection as proven by the Snowden leaks. It can be an improvement over Windows for targeted collection but will still be hit in default state. And most people hearing &quot;Use Linux&quot; aren&#x27;t qualified to get it anywhere near bulletproof. So, they&#x27;ll be easy targets.<p>Using any standard, mainstream system when nation-states are after you equals much higher chance of getting your box owned. It&#x27;s just economics: they focus on attacks w&#x2F; highest ROI. Windows, Mac, and Linux kernels are highest ROI for desktop. People on an Amiga are probably less likely to get hacked by automated system despite inferior security just because of its obscurity and attackers&#x27; focus. It&#x27;s why my old trick of BSD or UNIX on non-popular ISA&#x27;s (eg Alpha) stopped so many attacks despite their apparent sophistication.