Microsoft's Recall feature for Windows pushed back again as privacy and security matters keep the AI tool on hold

Date:
Fri, 01 Nov 2024 16:52:59 +0000

Description:
Microsofts AI-powered Recall feature, designed to track desktop activity, faces delays as ongoing concerns prompt the company to enhance privacy and security measures.

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It looks like Microsofts grand AI schemes have hit another snag, with the release of the controversial Recall feature being pushed back again. Recall
is one of Microsofts new AI-powered offerings, intended to record your
desktop activity in Windows 11 by taking screenshots at regular intervals and making them searchable.

When presented, Microsoft painted a picture of a futuristic instant replay of sorts that could help you remember what you were doing, like helping you find a specific document you were working on or backtracking to a tab you closed a while ago.

Quickly following Recalls announcement came a swift current of criticism
about the possible security and privacy-related risks that would come with an AI constantly monitoring your PC. It sounds obvious to say, but Recall would presumably capture a great deal of personal and private information - which
in turn would be a lucrative prize for the likes of hackers, scammers, and other malicious actors. Researchers and experts in cybersecurity were quick
to point out Recalls flaws, such as captured information being stored on your PC without encryption. Yet another delay - but it's for the best

Microsoft took note of the reaction to the announcement of Recall and postponed it once already to add new privacy and security protections, like requiring log-in using Windows Hello and making Recall a strictly opt-in feature. The show was seemingly back on the road after that, with Microsoft readying Recall to be released for testing in October 2024. However, just yesterday, on Halloween no less, Microsoft announced that the release of Recall will be postponed again to continue to improve its privacy and security.

I would rather Microsoft really put as much thought and effort into this as possible, of course, but these numerous postponements make me wonder what the state of Recalls privacy and security was initially. If it was lacking, thats pretty worrying and makes me think that Microsoft greatly underestimates how ironclad Recalls security measures would have to be and that its now trying
to settle on a minimum.

I understand that even Microsofts resources and funds arent infinite, but exploitable parts of Recall could have devastating consequences for users. So when will Recall finally arrive?

When speaking to The Verge about the delay , Microsoft said that Recalls initial release will be delayed to December 2024. In December, it will be released to testers in the Windows Insider Program with Copilot+ PCs, hoping to achieve a secure and trusted experience.

Microsoft has put out a Windows Blog post explaining the current state of Recall and how its working on beefing up Recalls privacy and security architecture, including allowing users to have control over data collection and ensuring that data is stored securely on devices. I know Microsofts not big on making it easy to disable parts of Windows you may not like, but
again, its pretty frustrating that this wasnt considered from the beginning.

PCWorld speculates that while Microsoft still appears to be pretty committed to Recall, theres still a chance that it could be scrapped altogether. If Microsoft cant get the privacy and security aspects of Recall right, that wouldnt be the worst idea. You might also like... Good news! Soon Windows 11 updates won't take forever thanks to 24H2's speed boost Another day, another Windows 11 24H2 update bug this time, Task Manager shows zero apps running Microsoft's Windows 11 24H2 issues just keep getting worse, with the new update now causing crashes on Intel motherboards



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/microsofts-recall-feature-for-wind ows-pushed-back-again-as-privacy-and-security-matters-keep-the-ai-tool-on-hold


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