Microsoft’s Recall feature for Windows has been pushed back again as privacy and security concerns keep the AI tool on hold
It looks like Microsoft’s big AI plans have hit another snag, with the release of the controversial Recall feature postponed once again. Recall is one of Microsoft’s new AI-powered offerings, aimed at capturing your desktop activity in Windows 11 by taking screenshots at regular intervals and making them searchable.
When it was presented, Microsoft painted a picture of some kind of futuristic “instant replay” that could help you remember what you were doing, such as helping you find a specific document you were working on or go back to a tab that you were working on. you closed a while ago.
Soon after Recall’s announcement, there was a flood of criticism about the potential security and privacy-related risks that would come with an AI constantly monitoring your PC. It sounds obvious to say, but Recall would supposedly capture a lot of personal and private information – which in turn would be a lucrative prize for hackers, scammers and other malicious actors. Researchers and cybersecurity experts were quick to point out Recall’s shortcomings, such as captured information being stored on your PC without encryption.
Another delay, but it’s for the best
Microsoft has taken note of the backlash to Recall’s announcement and has already delayed it once to add new privacy and security measures, such as requiring sign-in with Windows Hello and making Recall a strict opt-in feature . After that, the show seemed to get back on track, with Microsoft preparing Recall to be released for testing in October 2024. However, yesterday, Halloween no less, Microsoft announced that the release of Recall will be postponed again to continue improving its quality. privacy and security.
Of course, I would prefer that Microsoft actually put as much thought and effort into this as possible, but these numerous delays make me wonder what the state of Recall’s privacy and security was to begin with. If it weren’t there, that’s quite worrying and makes me think that Microsoft is vastly underestimating how rock-solid Recall’s security measures should be and is now trying to settle for a minimum.
I understand that even Microsoft’s resources and funds are not infinite, but exploitable parts of Recall could have devastating consequences for users.
So when is Recall finally coming?
When I spoke to The Verge about the delayMicrosoft said the initial release of Recall will be delayed until December 2024. In December, it will be released to testers in the Windows Insider program with Copilot+ PCs, hoping to achieve a “safe and trusted experience.”
Microsoft has one Windows Blog post explaining the current status of Recall and how it is working to improve Recall’s privacy and security architecture, allowing users to take control of data collection and ensure data is stored securely on devices. I know Microsoft doesn’t do much to disable parts of Windows you might not like, but again, it’s quite frustrating that this wasn’t thought about from the start.
PCWorld speculates that while Microsoft still seems quite committed to Recall, there’s still a chance it could be scrapped altogether. If Microsoft can’t get the privacy and security aspects of Recall right, it wouldn’t be the worst idea.