Microsoft will change the upcoming Recall feature following outcry over security and privacy issues.
Announced during Microsoft’s Copilot+PC event in May, Recall is a new Windows 11 feature that captures screenshots of activity to build a searchable database of what people do on their PCs. At first, Recall sounded quite helpful, but once people realized it would constantly capture screenshots, Recall went from helpful to privacy nightmare.
Microsoft has heard the complaints and detailed changes it will make to Recall to address some of the concerns. To start, Recall will be turned off by default. Windows 11 will ask users if they want to turn Recall on during setup, but unless users specifically turn it on, Recall won’t be active.
Additionally, Microsoft says that Recall will require Windows Hello enrollment and “proof of presence” to view and search the Recall timeline. On top of that, Microsoft says it’s adding another layer of protection via Windows Hell Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS), which means that “Recall snapshots will only be decrypted and accessible when the user authenticates.” The company also says it encrypted the search index database.
As The Verge points out, these changes come after cybersecurity experts discovered that Recall stored data in a plain text database, and several tools emerged that could extract Recall data. Coupled with recent major Azure cloud attacks and security incidents, it’s not surprising people raised concerns about Recall. Microsoft doesn’t exactly have the best reputation regarding security and privacy.
Internally, Microsoft is reportedly shifting focus to security and making it a top priority after repeated cybersecurity incidents. The changes to Recall signal that Microsoft is listening, though it remains to be seen how effective these changes are at addressing concerns. Users will likely still have misgivings about allowing Windows 11 to constantly capture screenshots of what they’re doing on their PC regardless of how securely Windows stores that data.
Images credit: Microsoft
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