Microsoft says it has “listened to feedback” following a privacy row over a new tool which takes regular screenshots of users’ activity.
It was labelled a potential “privacy nightmare” by critics when it was unveiled in May 2024 - prompting the tech giant to postpone its release. It now plans to relaunch the artificial intelligence (AI) powered tool in November on its new CoPilot+ computers.
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When it initially announced the tool at its developer conference in May, Microsoft said it used AI “to make it possible to access virtually anything you have ever seen on your PC”, and likened it to having photographic memory. It said Recall could search through a users’ past activity, including their files, photos, emails and browsing history.
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But critics quickly raised concerns, given the quantity of sensitive data the system would harvest, with one expert labelling it a potential “privacy nightmare."
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[Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of Windows and devices says] that “Windows offers tools to help you control your privacy and customise what gets saved for you to find later”.
However a technical blog about it states that “diagnostic data” from the tool may be shared with the firm depending on individual privacy settings.
[Microsoft says in a blog post that users can remove Recall entirely by using the optional features settings in Windows.]
If you need to use abusive windows software while retaining some privacy you really have 2 options:
Have a separate PC with windows and your games installed. Isolate your activities so all your normal work and personal stuff is on linux, and then you switch input on your display, or use sunshine/moonlight to access windows when you want to.
Use linux and do all your gaming etc. in a windows VM. This is what I do but it is not easy to set up, if you’re interested in this idea keep it in mind and come back to it later.
If you’re using VM hostile software though which it sounds like you are, #2 becomes even more complicated so I say bite the bullet and do #1.