We really need a way to make it clear to users when, through the normal operation of software, they are "sending" data to a third party (usually the software developer) and when they are not. This is definitely not clear/knowable to regular users, and it's kind of hard to figure out even if you're a computer expert. Even software that "runs locally" now sends innumerable amounts of stuff back to the developer, and they don't always disclose it.

This is a huge privacy problem that is only going to get worse.