Microsoft said it had “listened to the feedback” following privacy concerns surrounding a new tool that periodically takes screenshots of user activity.
When it was announced in May 2024, it was labeled by critics as a potential “privacy nightmare” and the tech giant postponed its release.
The company now plans to relaunch its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tool with new CoPilot+ computers in November.
Some controversial features have been removed. For example, it was on by default in the original version, but now it’s an opt-in.
The controversy surrounding the recall prompted the UK’s data watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), to “inquire” into the tech giant about the tool.
The company said it was informed that “a series of changes” had been made to the product.
“We will continue to evaluate recalls as Microsoft moves toward launch,” the company said in a statement.
When it first announced the tool at its developer conference in May, Microsoft said it used AI to “give you access to virtually everything you’ve ever seen on your PC,” turning it into a photographic memory. I likened it.
It says Recall can search a user’s past activity, including files, photos, emails, and browsing history.
It’s designed to help you find what you’ve previously seen or worked on by searching through screenshots of your desktop taken every few seconds.
But given the amount of sensitive data the system collects, critics were quick to raise concerns, with one expert calling it a potential “privacy nightmare.”
The recall was never made public.
A version of the tool was released on CoPilot+ computers (which Microsoft claims is the fastest and most intelligent Windows PC it has ever developed) after Microsoft told users it had made changes to make it more secure when it launched in June. It was scheduled to be rolled out at
However, the release has been further delayed and has now been postponed to the fall. The company also announced additional security measures.
“Recall is an opt-in experience. Snapshots and related information are always encrypted,” said Pavan Davuluri, corporate vice president of Windows and devices at Microsoft.
He added, “Windows provides tools to help you manage your privacy and customize what you save so you can find it later.”
However, a tech blog about it states that “diagnostic data” from the tool may be shared with the company, depending on your personal privacy settings.
The company added that screenshots can only be accessed with a biometric login and sensitive information such as credit card details will not be snapped by default.
Recall is only available on custom-built CoPilot+ series laptops with powerful AI chips inside.
Professor Alan Woodward, a cybersecurity expert at the University of Surrey, said the new measures were a significant improvement.
“We need to comprehensively test security and privacy aspects before introducing features like recalls,” he said.
However, he added that he was in no rush to use it.
“Personally, I won’t opt in until this has been tested in the wild for a while.”
