Several optional features active during installation have specific privacy impacts that users can control:
: For compatible hardware, device encryption is automatically turned on if you use a Microsoft account during setup. A recovery key is backed up to your OneDrive account to help you regain access if hardware failures occur. Post-Installation Privacy Management
: Users can choose to send a one-off report to Microsoft regarding their installation experience. This report includes data like installation date, duration, and success status, and is associated with a randomly generated Globally Unique Identifier (GUID) to help improve future products. This report includes data like installation date, duration,
: Here you can manage permissions for apps to access your location, webcam, microphone, and personal account information.
: This feature allows Windows to check for the latest installation files and driver updates during the setup process. To do this, it transmits information about your PC hardware to Microsoft to ensure compatibility. To do this, it transmits information about your
: Features like SmartScreen Filter and Flip Ahead with Page Prediction in Internet Explorer also have dedicated privacy controls that can be adjusted in the browser settings.
Once installation is complete, you can continue to manage your privacy settings through the system interface: To do this
For organizations managing these systems, administrators can use Group Policy to configure privacy-related settings across multiple servers or workstations. Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 privacy statement