SFM Style Studio — connection information
Privacy information for activation and online license verification
Connection-information feature: 30 October 2026. The Windows recovery information applies from deployment of that feature.
Information processed
When an activated device connects for activation or a successful online license verification, our server receives its connection IP address. We associate the latest connection IP and observation time with the existing license/device identifier. The approximate country can be derived from that IP. The device name and app version remain part of the existing activation record.
Activation after reinstalling Windows
On supported Windows PCs, the app can send a locally derived hash of a hardware identifier during paid-license verification. The server stores a further protected hash linked to that activation to recognise the same PC after Windows is reinstalled. This feature does not send the raw hardware identifier. The recovery binding remains until the server confirms device deactivation or support resets the registered devices; expiry or blocking alone does not delete it. If the identifier is unavailable or cannot identify the PC reliably, support review may be needed.
Purpose and access
Authorized SFM administrators use this information to troubleshoot activation and connection problems, review license security and see aggregate customer counts by country. Detailed IP, device and customer records are available only in the authenticated administration area. The customer map is an administrative statistics view, not a public directory.
Country lookup and accuracy
IP-to-country lookup is performed on our server using a locally stored country database. This feature does not send customer IP addresses to an external geolocation or mapping service. It does not use GPS or determine a street address. VPNs, proxies, travel and network changes may produce a different approximate country. An order country or an administrator-confirmed country can be kept separately from the latest network country.
Retention
This feature keeps only the latest connection IP for each device; a new successful observation replaces the previous value. The stored IP is encrypted. It expires 90 days after the latest successful observation and is then unavailable in the administration view; routine cleanup removes expired IP data. Coarse country information and its source may remain while the associated customer record is retained for customer statistics. This feature does not create a browsing history or a history of precise locations.
Existing records
Earlier activation records may contain only a non-reversible IP hash. We cannot recover an old IP or country from that hash. Such records remain unknown until a later successful verification or a confirmed country is available.
Questions or corrections
Contact SFM support if you have questions about this processing or need a country or customer record reviewed. Do not send a full License Key in a public message.