techspot Microsoft research scientist dodges privacy concerns about Windows Recall

[UltraMega]

  Quote

"Yeah, and so it's a great question, Erik. This has come up throughout the morning as well – the importance of data. And this AI revolution that we're in right now is really changing the way we understand data," Teevan said.
 

After talking about Microsoft helping businesses manage their data, Teevan said, "And as individuals too, we have important data, the data that we interact with all the time, and there's an opportunity to start thinking about how to do that and to start thinking about what it means to be able to capture and use that. But of course, we are rethinking what data means and how we use it, how we value it, how it gets used."

Expand  

Microsoft Research scientist gives non-answer when asked about Windows Recall privacy concerns | TechSpot

 

 

 

I tend to think of Microsoft as a company that's definitely not perfect but has generally good intentions. This Recall feature has me scratching my head as to why it even exists. After thinking about it, I have a few guesses: 

 

First and foremost, I think Microsoft is looking for more ways to market AI while also pitching the idea of people buying new hardware with NPUs built in. Maybe in part so they can push some of the processing they would be doing in the cloud to be more local. 

 

I think the second big reason is that most if not all of the data Recall collects is already collected by other various apps/programs/trackers on people's phones and PCs, so why not try to use that kind of data collection for something local on the machine that's potentially useful to the user. 

 

Even trying to give Microsoft the benefit of doubt, assuming that data collection is already so rampant that Recall is essentially just a drop in the bucket, they still need to be more open about how Recall deals with sensitive info like passwords and payment info. If it just stores that info in what is essentially a big log file, then it seems like a huge problem to me. 

 

I think Recall would work a lot better as something that was integrated into certain things, but not Windows itself. I could see it being very useful for Office/Word/Outlook kind of stuff, but no one is going to be warm to the idea of an "AI" logging all their activity in a way anyone with local or remote access could easily go through. No one asked for this, and if Microsoft wants to push this anyway, they need to be addressing these concerns in a satisfactory way or they should just ditch this whole idea entirely/rebrand it as a part of Office only. 

 

 

 

This is what CoPilot says about Recall storing sensitive information:

  Reveal hidden contents

Recall, the controversial AI feature in Windows 11, captures screenshots every five seconds and arranges them in a visual timeline. However, it does not hide sensitive information such as passwords or financial account numbers. The data is stored in plain text while the computer is in use, making it potentially accessible to other users sharing the same computer¹². If you’re concerned about privacy, it’s essential to be cautious when using Recall on shared devices.

 

Sent by you: Does this seem like a reasonable feature for Microsoft to be pushing given the security risks?

 

While Recall’s screenshot feature in Windows 11 has its merits for productivity and collaboration, the security risks are indeed concerning. Storing sensitive information in plain text could potentially compromise privacy, especially on shared devices. Microsoft should carefully balance innovation with security to ensure user trust.

 

Also, this exists now, which raises questions about if Recall really has much to do with AI or not. 

Edited June 7, 2024 by UltraMega

[Avacado]

There is THIS as a response to your concerns. Seems you weren't the only one concerned. I am glad it will be defaulted to off unless you choose to opt-in. 

[schuck6566]

  On 07/06/2024 at 17:38, Avacado said:

There is THIS as a response to your concerns. Seems you weren't the only one concerned. I am glad it will be defaulted to off unless you choose to opt-in. 

Expand  

and the 6 months later when the next feature update rolls around, Microsoft will put a box on the start up screen saying the computer updated do you want to "allow" the new feature to run and it will scroll thru 4 or 5 of these and people will just click yes because they figure "Hey,It's from Microsoft and it's part of my updates so it MUST be safe...." and 1 of them will be to allow Recall to access your system and make changes ect.

Just like they did when they added the android phone support to windows and started backing up phones on one drive.

[SoloCamo]

  On 08/06/2024 at 14:46, schuck6566 said:

and the 6 months later when the next feature update rolls around, Microsoft will put a box on the start up screen saying the computer updated do you want to "allow" the new feature to run and it will scroll thru 4 or 5 of these and people will just click yes because they figure "Hey,It's from Microsoft and it's part of my updates so it MUST be safe...." and 1 of them will be to allow Recall to access your system and make changes ect.

Just like they did when they added the android phone support to windows and started backing up phones on one drive.

Expand  

 

Exactly the discussion I've had and warned people about.  As the news and backlash quiets down, give MS a few updates worth of time and this will be sneaked in there like they always do.