Microsoft’s Recall feature uses AI to capture and store user data. While it can be useful, it also poses a significant privacy risk. Here's what AdGuard is doing about it.
No, it’s an argumentative take that underplays the issues with Apple’s proposed implementation and overplays the issues with MS’s.
Apple’s semantic search stores what you do inside an app (via an API) and they offer a feature that records everything you do and feeds it to an AI.
MS’s Recall was on their insider program, and then only for a subset of their devices, so not so much “stealthed” as up for testing. They always made the same on-device promises (and since the relaunch they also have encryption for the data). I don’t like either implementation, but I don’t think the discrepancy in reaction matches the discrepancy in implementation.
Note that it’s not a MS vs Apple thing. Chrome and Pixel phones have or are planning some Recall-adjacent features, too, that nobody ever brings up.
I’m not interested in taking sides or having an argument about it, I’m calling out how atrocious MS’s PR is and how surprisingly not atrocious Apple’s is. I’d argue the Pixel brand and Samsung in general also get WAY too much of a pass.
I’m curious as to why. I mean, I know why, it’s because MS sucks at managing their image and always have. I’m curious as to why they don’t drag everybody else down with them. I genuinely thought for a moment Recall would be the death of onboard AI features looking over your shoulder, but it clearly wasn’t. Apple’s slow rollout seems to have much more to do with them being incapable of a good implementation with the tech that is available and much less with them having an image issue in this area.
Also, is Recall live? I keep asking. How do I turn on Recall in my Copilot + PC? Does anybody know? Has anybody here touched Recall with their fingers? I am getting really paranoid about the whole thing being a collective prank like Santa Claus.
No, it’s an argumentative take that underplays the issues with Apple’s proposed implementation and overplays the issues with MS’s.
Apple’s semantic search stores what you do inside an app (via an API) and they offer a feature that records everything you do and feeds it to an AI.
MS’s Recall was on their insider program, and then only for a subset of their devices, so not so much “stealthed” as up for testing. They always made the same on-device promises (and since the relaunch they also have encryption for the data). I don’t like either implementation, but I don’t think the discrepancy in reaction matches the discrepancy in implementation.
Note that it’s not a MS vs Apple thing. Chrome and Pixel phones have or are planning some Recall-adjacent features, too, that nobody ever brings up.
I’m not interested in taking sides or having an argument about it, I’m calling out how atrocious MS’s PR is and how surprisingly not atrocious Apple’s is. I’d argue the Pixel brand and Samsung in general also get WAY too much of a pass.
I’m curious as to why. I mean, I know why, it’s because MS sucks at managing their image and always have. I’m curious as to why they don’t drag everybody else down with them. I genuinely thought for a moment Recall would be the death of onboard AI features looking over your shoulder, but it clearly wasn’t. Apple’s slow rollout seems to have much more to do with them being incapable of a good implementation with the tech that is available and much less with them having an image issue in this area.
Also, is Recall live? I keep asking. How do I turn on Recall in my Copilot + PC? Does anybody know? Has anybody here touched Recall with their fingers? I am getting really paranoid about the whole thing being a collective prank like Santa Claus.