🌋 Microsoft Plans to Make Recall More Secure
posted 8 Jun 2024
Microsoft has disabled the default activation of the Recall feature, which records all user actions as screenshots for AI purposes. The developers plan to enhance encryption and make it more difficult to access the collected information, which is currently protected only by the computer’s password.
We are updating the set-up experience of Copilot+ PCs to give people a clearer choice to opt-in to saving snapshots using Recall,said Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft's Corporate Vice President for Windows and Devices.
In the previous versions, the feature worked “out of the box” and took screenshots every five seconds, capturing sensitive data such as passwords and conversations. Microsoft changed its stance following widespread criticism from cybersecurity experts and various communities.
Experts argue that even brief computer access could allow hackers to download all collected data stored locally. Moreover, the software enabling the extraction of information from Recall at a certain level of access has already appeared on the developer platform GitHub.
This situation comes amid Microsoft’s push for stronger security policies and a potential investigation by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) into the company’s deal with Inflection AI. If Microsoft is found guilty, it could be fined for attempting to conceal the true nature of the agreement.
