New Windows AI feature records everything you’ve done on your PC (1 Viewer)

[Nomad4Ever]

New Windows AI feature records everything you’ve done on your PC

Recall uses AI features "to take images of your active screen every few seconds."

arstechnica.com

At a Build conference event on Monday, Microsoft revealed a new AI-powered feature called "Recall" for Copilot+ PCs that will allow Windows 11 users to search and retrieve their past activities on their PC. To make it work, Recall records everything users do on their PC, including activities in apps, communications in live meetings, and websites visited for research.

"Recall uses Copilot+ PC advanced processing capabilities to take images of your active screen every few seconds," Microsoft says on its website. "The snapshots are encrypted and saved on your PC’s hard drive. You can use Recall to locate the content you have viewed on your PC using search or on a timeline bar that allows you to scroll through your snapshots."

Despite reassurances from Microsoft, that impression persists for second and third glances as well. For example, someone with access to your Windows account could potentially use Recall to see everything you've been doing recently on your PC, which might extend beyond the embarrassing implications of pornography viewing and actually threaten the lives of journalists or perceived enemies of the state.

So, anyone who has read any of my other threads regarding technology shouldn't be surprised that I STRONGLY oppose this. This should, at worst, be an opt-in feature. At best I don't think it should exist at all.

As is it could easily be enabled without many non-technical users even being aware. Breaking Windows account security is fairly trivial so this could be extremely dangerous for anyone who might be targeted by some kind of state surveillance and are having everything they do on their PC recorded without them even realizing.

I hate the direction Windows is going. I might have to switch to Linux as my main OS despite the couple of apps I use that don't really work there.

 

[Infinite Chaos]

So, anyone who has read any of my other threads regarding technology shouldn't be surprised that I STRONGLY oppose this. This should, at worst, be an opt-in feature. At best I don't think it should exist at all.

As is it could easily be enabled without many non-technical users even being aware. Breaking Windows account security is fairly trivial so this could be extremely dangerous for anyone who might be targeted by some kind of state surveillance and are having everything they do on their PC recorded without them even realizing.

Years ago, I used to argue against the idea there could be mass surveillance as there really isn't enough hard disk space on any government or organisation's hands to capture what everyone is doing.

Sounds like someone could have figured out that it might someday be cheaper and more effective to store everything a user does on that unsuspecting user's own computers for accessing later.

 

[dmpi]

Gee.... What could possibly go wrong?

 

[Individual]

What apps might they be?

 

[Phys251]

New Windows AI feature records everything you’ve done on your PC

Recall uses AI features "to take images of your active screen every few seconds."

arstechnica.com

So, anyone who has read any of my other threads regarding technology shouldn't be surprised that I STRONGLY oppose this. This should, at worst, be an opt-in feature. At best I don't think it should exist at all.

As is it could easily be enabled without many non-technical users even being aware. Breaking Windows account security is fairly trivial so this could be extremely dangerous for anyone who might be targeted by some kind of state surveillance and are having everything they do on their PC recorded without them even realizing.

I hate the direction Windows is going. I might have to switch to Linux as my main OS despite the couple of apps I use that don't really work there.

Oh, this is just great.

 

[Gatsby]

Was anyone even asking for this feature? Does Microsoft do any sort of market research before they roll out stuff like this? Truly baffling decision.

 

[Nomad4Ever]

What apps might they be?

It isn't an app. This is a feature that would be built directly into the Windows OS by default on compatible computers.

 

[Nomad4Ever]

Was anyone even asking for this feature? Does Microsoft do any sort of market research before they roll out stuff like this? Truly baffling decision.

I'm sure the presentation for it was filled with sentences like "smart computing", "AI", "revolutionary new way of interacting with your computer", and "disruption".

As for market research? Who knows. Microsoft often seems to assume that they know best nearly to the same degree Apple does. It isn't like they have any meaningful competition anyway when it comes to x86 operating systems. They can kinda do whatever they want.

Hell, they are even putting ads right onto your home screen now.

Microsoft wants to run ads in your Start menu on Windows 11

Windows 11 Home and Pro users may soon begin seeing "recommended" apps and websites in the Start menu.

www.windowscentral.com

 

[Ug make hammer]

I hate the direction Windows is going. I might have to switch to Linux as my main OS despite the couple of apps I use that don't really work there.

I can't count the number of times I've said "I'm done with Windows, I'm switching to Linux" and then found it too hard.

Linux is always getting better though, and even quite secure distributions are quite easy to use. The main aps I use are Firefox and Libre Office, which will obviously run fine on Linux.

Really the main thing is price. As long as I can use Windows 10 without paying, I'll stay with it. I paid for Windows 95, 98 (twice), 2000, XP (twice) and damn if I'm going to pay again. Microsoft have been "leasing out" their OS from the beginning. August next year, Win 10 goes out of support and obviously I'm not going online with an unsupported OS. Let's just see if they'll let me use Win 11 without paying, and if not then heigh ho for Linux.

 

[Grand Mal]

Was anyone even asking for this feature? Does Microsoft do any sort of market research before they roll out stuff like this? Truly baffling decision.

I think it sometimes works the other way around- some nerd in a computer research lab stumbles on something, says, "Hey, look what I can do! Now, how can we make someone think they want this?"

 

[PeacefulWarrior]

Meh.

Why should this worry me more than the fact that all activity on my computer is already logged somewhere?

 

[Ug make hammer]

It isn't an app. This is a feature that would be built directly into the Windows OS by default on compatible computers.

I don't know if you noticed, but sometimes the floppy disk icon above the post composition box (here on DP) lights up green. DP keeps a record of your draft posts whether you post them or not.

Why exactly do the mods need to know what you were thinking of posting, but didn't actually click Post Reply on?

 

[Nomad4Ever]

Why should this worry me more than the fact that all activity on my computer is already logged somewhere?

All your activity is in fact not already logged somewhere.

Certain events are logged and can be viewed through the Event Viewer app, but this is mostly technical data that is useful for debugging issues and shows things like error events apps throw.

It doesn't save you entering your passwords, screenshots of your banking information, or every character you type on your keyboard when messaging someone.

 

[mrjurrs]

Was anyone even asking for this feature? Does Microsoft do any sort of market research before they roll out stuff like this? Truly baffling decision.

It's cute that you think Microsoft cares what their consumers want...

 

[Nomad4Ever]

I don't know if you noticed, but sometimes the floppy disk icon above the post composition box (here on DP) lights up green. DP keeps a record of your draft posts whether you post them or not.

Why exactly do the mods need to know what you were thinking of posting, but didn't actually click Post Reply on?

I find the saving of drafts useful, especially because I sometimes switch between devices.

I don't consider anything I type into the forum "private" so to speak nor do I think that is an expectation so I don't really have an issue with that. It is very different from your personal device that you own taking screenshots of everything you do every few seconds.

 

[Ug make hammer]

Meh.

Why should this worry me more than the fact that all activity on my computer is already logged somewhere?

That should also worry you. The best you can hope for is that online activity is logged in so many different places, that is uneconomical for data miners to collate it all together.

And frankly, what you do in a spreadsheet on your computer, shouldn't be logged anywhere. Or what you write in your diary. Microsoft will sell you "data backup" or "saving your work" but you should be suspicious of anything they offer you for free. There is no free lunch from these people.

 

[PeacefulWarrior]

All your activity is in fact not already logged somewhere.

Certain events are logged and can be viewed through the Event Viewer app, but this is mostly technical data that is useful for debugging issues and shows things like error events apps throw.

It doesn't save you entering your passwords, screenshots of your banking information, or every character you type on your keyboard when messaging someone.

OK. I'm just really not seeing this as any more alarming than what already exists.

My passwords are already saved. My banking information is already on there and available to anyone who gets access to my computer. All messages are already fully documented and in existence all over the Internet.

FTR I dont use Windows I use Mac in my home, I doubt it really matters though so much data is being recorded that I just dont even worry about it at this point. If I were worried about I'd stop using it. I try to keep a philosophy when messaging "Dont say anything that you wouldn't want everyone to know." Electronic communication isnt secure and has never been secure.

 

[Ug make hammer]

I find the saving of drafts useful, especially because I sometimes switch between devices.

I don't consider anything I type into the forum "private" so to speak nor do I think that is an expectation so I don't really have an issue with that. It is very different from your personal device that you own taking screenshots of everything you do every few seconds.

Well yes. Because I noticed that little green light shortly after joining DP, I'm not claiming that they're "stealing" my private drafts of posts. I would prefer that they didn't, though: if I could turn off this feature which might be useful to people who switch between devices, I definitely would.

As to how personal thoughts I later choose not to share, are different from screenshots of everything you "do" with the device, I don't agree that they're very different. My drafts are private, just like a bad selfie I might take with my phone. I choose to share them when I click Post Reply, not before then. It's Consent 101.

 

[Nomad4Ever]

It's cute that you think Microsoft cares what their consumers want...

They literally don't have to care.

Functionally speaking, they have a monopoly. When you buy a new desktop, it comes with Windows on it. When you buy a new laptop, it comes with Windows on it.

With very very few exception, like Framework or POP! branded laptop, you don't even have a choice of OS. Apple isn't any better but ultimately they are a tiny tiny fraction of the overall OS market share and don't really directly compete with Windows as an OS. It isn't like you can choose between Windows, Mac OS, or Linux when you buy a new device. And most people aren't technically inclined enough to ever change what OS their device is running.

If they had meaningful competition and people could actually choose between operating systems when they bought a device they wouldn't be able to get away with stuff like this.

 

[Nomad4Ever]

OK. I'm just really not seeing this as any more alarming than what already exists.

My passwords are already saved. My banking information is already on there and available to anyone who gets access to my computer. All messages are already fully documented and in existence all over the Internet.

I promise you it is drastically different.

For one, all that information isn't just saved by default. If someone accessed my computer (as in, they hacked/bypassed my user password and logged onto my account) they wouldn't be able to access anything. My passwords are all saved in my password manager which requires a master password to access. Most of my important personal files are saved on an e2e encrypted cloud drive. I never save passwords in my browser for this exact reason. A lot of my messages are in Signal, which requires a password each time you open it and is e2e encrypted as well.

And you say you are using mac, your passwords should be saved behind Keychain, which requires your Apple ID password to access not your user password.

Where as this is just saving screenshots of everything. Everything. A total history of all your actions. It is very different.

I try to keep a philosophy when messaging "Dont say anything that you wouldn't want everyone to know." Electronic communication isnt secure and has never been secure.

Messaging apps like Signal would basically require a state actor or a very very well funded and talented hacking group to get into. It is more secure than sending someone a letter in the mail. Nothing is 100% secure but good e2e encryption is about as good as it gets.

 

[mrjurrs]

They literally don't have to care.

Functionally speaking, they have a monopoly. When you buy a new desktop, it comes with Windows on it. When you buy a new laptop, it comes with Windows on it.

With very very few exception, like Framework or POP! branded laptop, you don't even have a choice of OS. Apple isn't any better but ultimately they are a tiny tiny fraction of the overall OS market share and don't really directly compete with Windows as an OS. It isn't like you can choose between Windows, Mac OS, or Linux when you buy a new device. And most people aren't technically inclined enough to ever change what OS their device is running.

If they had meaningful competition and people could actually choose between operating systems when they bought a device they wouldn't be able to get away with stuff like this.

I concur.

 

[Ug make hammer]

They literally don't have to care.

Functionally speaking, they have a monopoly. When you buy a new desktop, it comes with Windows on it. When you buy a new laptop, it comes with Windows on it.

With very very few exception, like Framework or POP! branded laptop, you don't even have a choice of OS. Apple isn't any better but ultimately they are a tiny tiny fraction of the overall OS market share and don't really directly compete with Windows as an OS. It isn't like you can choose between Windows, Mac OS, or Linux when you buy a new device. And most people aren't technically inclined enough to ever change what OS their device is running.

If they had meaningful competition and people could actually choose between operating systems when they bought a device they wouldn't be able to get away with stuff like this.

My sister bought me a second hand (but still quite current) iMac and I used it happily for a few years. I wasn't a gamer, so most of the software I wanted was available for Mac, and it really turned me around.

I started in computers on a Sinclair X80 my dad bought me, went to school on a VAX, bought an Amiga 500 and after that it was all PC's running Windows. I might even have run Windows 3 but I don't remember clearly because to run games I generally booted up from DOS. I bought Windows 95 outright, and payed indirectly for many versions after that (built computers with OS included.) I bought 98 outright, also 2000. I supported Microsoft when they still had serious competition from Apple, and I have no shame that I'm using a Windows OS I did not pay for.

So it was quite a surprise when I discovered that Macs weren't just for photoshop. It was a nice machine, with an excellent screen and no overheating problems despite the narrow profile. I was happy with it right up to the point that Apple introduced "dual boot" which allowed users to run Windows but not Linux. And even when Apple switched to a Unix base, they still didn't support conversion to Linux.

I've still got that iMac in the basement. It probably still works. And yes, I could install linux on it by reflashing it's early boot chip, but I'm just disgusted by how Apple ganged up with Microsoft. Their common enemy is Linux, because the Linux-verse is a free operating system with free updates and free aps. Apple and Microsoft are both "lease-ware" which is free up-front but pay to use. What a scam.

 

[Individual]

It isn't an app. This is a feature that would be built directly into the Windows OS by default on compatible computers.

"I might have to switch to Linux as my main OS despite the couple of apps I use that don't really work there."

 

[bomberfox]

**** you AI

 

[Nomad4Ever]

"I might have to switch to Linux as my main OS despite the couple of apps I use that don't really work there."

Sorry, I completely misunderstood you.

The big ones are several VR games I own and Valorant, which uses a kernal level anti-cheat that won't even work using a Windows VM.

There are other apps that don't work, but most productivity apps are ok to run through a Windows VM as a solution. But that's not an option for a lot of my games.