Microsoft commits to addressing privacy concerns by adding encryption and authentication protections, making it an opt-in experience, and disabling it by default.
Microsoft delays release of AI feature Recall for Windows Copilot PCs due to privacy concerns.
Recall captures screenshots of active windows and creates a searchable visual timeline.
Recall was initially planned for a wide release on June 18 but will now be available as a preview to Windows Insider Program members.
Microsoft Delays Release of Controversial AI Feature Recall Amid Privacy Concerns
Microsoft has announced that it will delay the broad release of its new AI feature, Recall, for Windows Copilot PCs following heavy criticism from users and privacy advocates.
Recall was initially planned for a wide release on June 18 but will now first be made available as a preview to members of the Windows Insider Program in the coming weeks.
The feature, which is designed to periodically capture screenshots of a user's active windows and create a searchable visual timeline, has raised concerns over privacy and data security. Microsoft has committed to addressing these concerns by adding additional encryption and authentication protections, making the feature an opt-in experience instead of on by default, and disabling it by default.
Microsoft vice president Pavan Davuluri announced the delay in a blog post, stating that
Microsoft is delaying its Recall feature for Copilot Plus PCs due to the need for additional testing and security improvements.
Recall is an AI-powered feature that screenshots mostly everything you see or do on your computer and allows you to search and retrieve items.
Microsoft committed to making Recall an opt-in experience instead of on by default, encrypting the database, and authenticating through Windows Hello as part of its response to privacy concerns.
Recall uses local AI models built into Windows 11 and keeps all data private on-device.
Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith testified before the House Homeland Security Committee about prioritizing security above everything, including artificial intelligence.
Accuracy
Microsoft is delaying the release of its Recall feature for Copilot Plus PCs due to the need for additional testing and security improvements.
Deception
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None Found At Time Of
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Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority and a potential overstatement. It heavily relies on Microsoft's statements about its Recall feature without critically examining them. Additionally, the author claims that Recall could be a 'disaster for cybersecurity' without providing any evidence or expert opinions to support this assertion.
. . . privacy advocates and security experts have been warning that Recall could be a disaster for cybersecurity without changes.
Microsoft first unveiled the Recall feature as part of its upcoming Copilot Plus PCs last month, but since then, privacy advocates and security experts have been warning that Recall could be a disaster for cybersecurity without changes.
Microsoft is delaying its Recall feature again, according to an updated blog post by Windows and Devices VP Pavan Davuluri.
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Accuracy
Recall was initially set to be enabled by default on Copilot+ PCs.
Recall uses local AI models built into Windows 11 and keeps all data private on-device.
Deception
(30%)
The article contains selective reporting as it only mentions the security issues with Recall and does not mention any potential benefits or context about why Microsoft might want to implement this feature. The author also makes a statement about Recall being widely-publicized security problems which is an editorializing opinion.
Recall was widely-publicized as having significant security problems
The main problem was that all of this was saved to disk with no additional encryption or other protection, and was easily viewable and copyable by pretty much any user (or attacker) with access to the PC.
Microsoft has delayed the broad release of its AI-powered Recall feature for Windows Copilot PCs amid privacy concerns.
, Microsoft is delaying the release of its Recall feature again, according to an updated blog post by Windows and Devices VP Pavan Davuluri.
Recall was developed ‘in secret’ and not distributed widely within Microsoft before it was announced, which could explain why security issues were not flagged and fixed before a publicly-available version of Windows.
Microsoft has committed to prioritizing security issues over new AI-powered features as part of their recently announced Secure Future Initiative (SFI).
Microsoft promised to add additional encryption and authentication protections and disable Recall by default after security researcher Kevin Beaumont publicized the security holes in the initial version of Recall.
Accuracy
Recall is designed to periodically capture screenshots of a user’s active windows, creating a searchable visual timeline to help users quickly find previously viewed content across apps, websites, images, and documents.
Some experts remain skeptical about the potential risks associated with Recall despite these changes.
Professor Jen Golbeck of the University of Maryland’s AI department warned that the feature could be a ‘nightmare’ if a device falls into the wrong hands, as it could provide access to sensitive information even with privacy settings like incognito mode enabled.
A new tool, TotalRecall, has been released exploiting the security vulnerability in Microsoft’s Windows Recall feature to capture screenshots and store them locally in an unencrypted database.
Deception
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None Found At Time Of
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Fallacies
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None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(90%)
The author expresses concerns about the privacy implications of Microsoft's Recall feature and quotes experts raising similar concerns. While not overtly biased, the tone of the article is critical of Microsoft's decision to implement this feature.
Cybersecurity researchers have also raised concerns about the potential for malware to compromise data stored by Recall.
Microsoft has announced that it will delay the broad release of its AI-powered Recall feature for Windows Copilot+ PCs, following heavy criticism from users and privacy advocates.
Professor Jen Golbeck of the University of Maryland's AI department warned that the feature could be a ‘nightmare’ if a device falls into the wrong hands.
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