How can I check for outbound telemetry in my Linux distro and disable it?

Most distros usually don't have outbound telemetry, and if they do, it's typically off by default. But it's always good to double-check. One way to verify is by using packet monitoring tools like Wireshark. It will show you all the network traffic coming in and out from your machine. Just a heads up though, if you have a browser open, it might create a lot of noise with all the requests popping up, so it can be overwhelming. Just because there's no activity now doesn't mean there won't be any later.

I'd recommend being cautious and verifying everything yourself instead of just trusting the default settings. Always better to be sure!

For extra peace of mind, consider setting up a firewall that blocks all outbound connections except those you explicitly allow. This could offer you a better grip on your network traffic.