Microsoft addresses Windows Recall backlash, promises to fix security issues and make it opt-in

We have seen this game 100 times. Opt in for now and then turned on for everyone 6-12 months later. It's just a temporary move to handle the bad PR.

Opt-in does not matter, if I message or email someone who has it on, my personal data has been collected without my knowledge or consent.

This shouldnt have been built in the first place, it's irresponsible

I maintain one baremetal Windows install that gets fairly regular use. It's on a major OEM business class workstation with a legit Windows 10 pro license.

Recently, I had to wipe and reset and goddamn do they try and trick you into choosing all the worst spyware settings AND even if you successfully duck and weave past them, they'll just cheat and enable them, or reinstall shit like co-pilot during an update.

They just made me sign into that shitty M365 app to install a legit subscription of Office, and on the next reboot, it converted the local user account into an online user account.

Make no mistake, Recall is going to be enabled by hook, or by crook, for the vast majority of Windows 11 users in due time. No matter how many times they disable it, or opt out.

Too late Microsoft, I jumped into the Linux pool and the water is fine.

"we will change nothing but announce it like we did"

Why the hell wasn't it opt-in from the beginning?

How about you promise to remove your build in spyware?

As a reminder this was the go-to play for Facebook when they were caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Default it off until nobody's looking and change it slightly so it was named 'differently' and on it went again.

opt-in until next update when it will be enabled "magically"

I don't even care if it's opt-in. I don't want dormant malware on my PC either.

To be clear. I actually like Windows 11. I don't care about the general telemetry, though I disabled the typing data crap. Most of the things in the last few months about ads in Windows, about blocking apps, etc have been overblown and aren't actually big problems in isolation. Even this is a little overblown right now as it requires an NPU which the vast majority of systems don't have. But, this is just so tone-deaf and an obviously terrible idea that it needs to be put down hard.

How do you "fix" the security issues of a program that is literally designed to spy on you?

I've just switched to Linux Mint and I'm not ever coming back. That's how I "fixed it."

They'll always play right on or just over the line to see when/how people push back. They knew what they were doing, they started at a 9 intentionally so that people push back to and live with a 7

Opt-in but you get an annoying full screen popup every boot, like for the windows11 upgrade. It's only a matter of time, til they sell AI recall features as Win12 and then beg you to upgrade for free, pretty please!

There is no way I'm going to use a machine where they can turn on something remotely through a update or some other fashion. I probably won't even have a 11 vm at home now. I'll keep the 10 vm for its minor uses until it can no longer do the few things I use it for but that is it for me. Remove that garbage or lose more of us macroshaft.

Trust is difficult to earn and easy to lose.

security issues as in its very existence?

It feels like these huge ass companies are just testing people's reactions before they do something these days.

"Make it opt-in" (for 6 months) At this point, Microsoft is the biggest advisement for Linux desktop

Windows 10 will be the last windows I will use. Already switching to Linux at least part time to wean myself off of Microsoft

If somebody shows you who they really are, believe them the first time...

Too little too late, I'm not getting any more versions of windows.

My 10 year prediction - Microsoft does a full transition to a services company:

• Basic Windows is free, even for OEMs
• Windows Professional becomes a subscription thing, maybe you get it as part of your Azure AD sub
• Things like Recall or not having ads are extra subscriptions

Pretty sure they already said it would be opt-in. This is just planned damage control. The fools have already shown their hand. Again.

Windows 10 will be the last I work on. I work in tech and won't accept 11 as a work environment either.

So it will use AI to auto detect penises to prevent embarrassing video recordings.

I feel like not wanting to do the work for certain Steam games is what keeps me on windows for my personal use (work makes the decision on my work machine).

I know it’s possible, I just don’t want to do the work

I've been researching wine and proton for Linux. Fuck windows! The only reason I still use it is for gaming but if wine works as advertised I'll be switching to Linux.

Yeah I don’t know what to do with this. I’m about to start to start wfh and handle a lot of data that cannot be shared and comes with big fines for mishandling. I have to have office, mainly excel. Is Apple my only option? I know Linux exists, but I’m not a power user, I struggle with my printer.

It will now require Windows Hello (via facial recognition and/or fingerprint)

So Microsoft also wants my fingerprints and a realtime capture of my face? Yeah that totally addresses my concerns. /S

Ok, I'm gonna be perfectly honest, Microsoft recall, copilot, hello... I don't know what any of these things are. And I'm pretty sure I like it that way.

I do use Windows every day, (windows 10 and 7), but I haven't heard any reason to ever upgrade from these. All these "services" do not seem like a "value add" to me.

Oh.... Microsoft, Microsoft, Microsoft.

A friend of mine tried one of their "special offers" he nearly got himself lobotomized!

"We won't turn it on and will never use it to spy on you" says government backed surveillance monopoly know for sneaking spyware into products and making it impossible to remove.

Shame I stopped believing that BS from them circa winME…

& Microsoft is sooo soft-in-the-head as to believe that we ought trust them, after this,

& the previous fiasco,

& the one before that,

& https://search.theregister.com/?q=microsoft+security+privacy&site=

( you may need to go through a few hundred pages there, to see it all )

This is their DNA: it isn't going to change, now.

Def considering fedora for my surface 7. Microsoft & their shit is unacceptable.

Losing all your government contracts can be a great motivator.

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Today, Microsoft announced it is addressing a recent backlash around Windows Recall, its controversial forthcoming AI-powered search service that works by taking a snapshot of your PC every 5 seconds.

Recently, it was discovered that the feature stores data unencrypted on the device.

The company says it will ensure Windows Recall data is safe by employing "just-in-time" protection, which ensures the data is only decrypted when the user authenticates into the app with Windows Hello.

Additionally, Microsoft says it will make Windows Recall an opt-in experience, meaning it won't be enabled by default on Copilot+ PCs.

Microsoft also says it's making further security improvements to Windows Recall.

It will now require Windows Hello (via facial recognition and/or fingerprint) to be set up on the system and require the user to be present in front of the screen to access Recall data.

The original article contains 232 words, the summary contains 141 words. Saved 39%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

Rather than not install it to begin with. Leeches

Surely it's opt in anyway, seeing as you need some special wanky laptop with a magical AI bollocks chip for it to work.

Not only is Recall a huge security risk, but I genuinely don't get the point of it (other than just being a way for Microsoft to get ad data). Like, 'remember what you last did on your computer!' like uh yeah it's called having a memory. Like unless you literally have severe memory problems (where using a computer is probably the least of your concerns) this is pointless.