At the annual developer conference, Microsoft showcased many of the features and abilities coming to the Copilot+ PCs (software platform that brings new AI features) with Windows 11. However, one of the most unique features was Recall.
Previously, we’ve heard about a rumored AI-based feature called AI Explorer. The feature was supposed to help users search through their recent Windows activity. While we didn’t get to see the AI Explorer at the event, Microsoft announced what the company called Recall. It is a feature that records user activity on their Windows computer to help them remember the file, app, or other document they accessed.
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What Is Windows Recall?
Essentially, Windows Recall takes snapshots of users’ PC activities and stores them locally on the device’s memory. “Recall is an upcoming preview experience exclusive to Copilot+ PCs that will help you easily find and remember things you’ve seen using natural language,” reads an official support page.
It’s like having a photographic memory for everything users do/see on their PC. However, their PC actually clicks and stores snapshots of the activity (which raises privacy concerns, but more on that later). The support page also explains that users can quickly search through their snapshots to find things on their Copilot+ PC. “For example, content you’ve seen in apps, websites, images, and documents.”
The feature could come in handy, especially for locating files that one has lost on their PC. To use the feature, users can enter their queries in natural language. Recall will then interpret those queries, conduct a quick search in its database, and come back with the most relevant results. What’s interesting is that the feature runs offline, entirely on users’ devices powered by the new Qualcomm Snapdragon X processors.
However, the feature’s most unique aspect is facing criticism online due to its potential privacy concerns.
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What Are The Potential Privacy Concerns Related To Windows Recall?
Since Recall takes a screenshot of users’ screens every few seconds, it literally records all the activities. While this is reminiscent of Windows 10’s Timeline feature, Recall takes users back to that very moment on their PC (including the apps that were open at the time).
This poses a huge privacy concern for the following reasons
- First, the idea of a PC recording everything that the user does is very disturbing, simply because the information, at a scale, could be used to train AI models about the usage patterns, what users do on their PC, the time they spend on an app, the types of app they use, and so on.
- Furthermore, anyone with access to the PC could access whatever the user did for a significant amount of time, which is a massive threat to individual privacy. Given that Recall will take a screenshot of almost everything one does on their PC, it could be problematic for several scenarios. By default, Recall gets 25GB of memory on a device with 256GB, which can store about three months of screenshots (taken every three seconds).
- Microsoft says that Recall doesn’t record certain types of content, such as InPrivate web browsing sessions in Microsoft Edge. It also doesn’t take screenshots of materials protected with digital rights management. However, the fact that the feature can record everything else, including users’ passwords and private data, is alarming. “It will not hide information such as passwords or financial account numbers,” read an official statement from Microsoft.
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To sum up, the feature records everything from users’ activity to sensitive information such as their passwords and other financial data. Further it will be available for anyone with access to the particular PC. Last but not least, the feature is on by default.
Shortly after Microsoft revealed Recall for Windows, Elon Musk took to his official X (formerly known as Twitter) account to call it a “Black Mirror episode.” In his post, the billionaire said he’d “definitely” turn the feature off. Musk also shared a video clip of Satya Nadella’s interview, in which the Microsoft CEO explained how Recall works.
What Does Microsoft Have To Say Regarding The Privacy Concerns?
On a support page, Microsoft mentions that users are always in control of what their PC saves as a snapshot. They can disable Recall, pause it temporarily, and filter certain applications they don’t want to be recorded. In addition, users can also delete the screenshots anytime. Further, to help maintain users’ privacy, Recall processes all the content locally on the Copilot+ PC.
Further, the company also clarifies that “the security protecting your Recall content is the same for any content you have on your device.” It backs the claim by stating that all Copilot+ PCs will be Secured-core PCs, which is the highest security standard for Windows 11 devices for consumer PCs. Further, Microsoft will include the Pluton security processors on all the said PCs.
Last but not least, Microsoft mentions that Recall screenshots are only linked to a specific user profile. The screenshots aren’t shared with other users, with Microsoft, or used for targeted advertising. In addition, the screenshots are only available to the person whose profile was used to take them. What do you think about the Microsoft Recall feature for Windows? Would you turn it off or continue using it?
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