A component of the Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP), this collects data on how you interact with the setup process to help Microsoft identify and fix common installation errors.
To understand the privacy statement, we must first understand the era. Released in 2013, Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 arrived at a pivotal moment. Microsoft was beginning its transition toward a "services-first" mentality. While Windows 10 would later become infamous for its aggressive telemetry, Windows 8.1 represented a middle ground—a bridge between the relatively silent Windows 7 and the hyper-connected Windows 10. A component of the Customer Experience Improvement Program
The statement outlines several features that can send information over the internet during the installation phase: The privacy statement notes that MAK keys send
A: Yes. The privacy statement notes that MAK keys send the organization name (if embedded in the key) to Microsoft, not just the key hash. Retail keys do not send organization data. A component of the Customer Experience Improvement Program
| Data Element | Purpose | Retention Period | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Used for support diagnostics | 90 days | | Product Key Variant (Retail, Volume, OEM) | Determines activation rules | Not stored after activation | | Installation Date & Time | License compliance verification | 1 year | | Geo-location (IP address) | Regional restriction enforcement | 24 hours |