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Giving Windows total recall is a privacy minefield (www.theregister.com)

submitted 7 months ago by [email protected] to c/technology

84 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Microsoft's Windows Recall feature is attracting controversy before even venturing out of preview.

Microsoft said in its FAQs that its snapshotting feature will vacuum up sensitive information: "Recall does not perform content moderation. It will not hide information such as passwords or financial account numbers. That data may be in snapshots stored on your device, especially when sites do not follow standard internet protocols like cloaking password entry."

Mozilla's Chief Product Officer Steve Teixeira told The Register: "Mozilla is concerned about Windows Recall. From a browser perspective, some data should be saved, and some shouldn't.

Jake Moore, Global Cybersecurity Advisor at ESET, noted that while the feature is not on by default, its use "opens up another avenue for criminals to attack."

Moore warned that "users should be mindful of allowing any content to be analysed by AI algorithms for a better experience."

Cybersecurity expert Kevin Beaumont was scathing in his assessment of the technology, writing: "In essence, a keylogger is being baked into Windows as a feature."

AI expert Gary Marcus was blunter: "F^ck that. I don't want my computer to spy on everything I ever do."

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[–] Avatar_of_Self 2 points 6 months ago

Not that I'm defending it but the data and the model itself on Recall stays all local and encrypted, according to Microsoft. It also says it won't use it for ad targeting or will sell the data. Of course, the caveat is that is what they are saying right now and may not be saying in the future. We've obviously seen strategies where gradually things move down the spectrum as it continuously normalizes.

With MS we've seen the "Start" menu advertise Candy Crush forever and then "recommended apps" and it isn't a far step to show "sponsored recommended apps" and then just "sponsored content" as things continue to become more normal for everyone, especially if its for the "Home" version or whatever. People will just argue to pay whatever for a Pro license.

Going to full blown ads now though? It'll piss the consumer off. Do it gradually over a decade? There will be some rumblings, sure, but it probably won't matter. By then they might be able to give you a "free" cloud VDI (with lots ads from the OS) with less ads and CPU/GPU power based on subscription tiers and you just need to buy a cheap $30 thin client and everyone will just be OK with that.