plaintiger: I know I am answering an old post but I was at work.

It doesn't mater what operating system you are using as to how much information a person can gather about you. The way the internet is set up unless you are using a tone of proxy servers any person with enough know how could monitor every web site you go to and every thing you do on them. If you are truely woried about security and don't want people to see what you are doing only go to web sites starting with https:// only use dial up internet access(and dial a different number every time), and get yourself an account with a whole bunch of off shore proxy servers. Privacy is an ilusion when it comes to the internet.