Microsoft Copilot's recall feature: Difference between revisions
SushiPasta (talk | contribs) |
SushiPasta (talk | contribs) →Background: revised to be clearer maybe |
||
| Line 11: | Line 11: | ||
==Background== | ==Background== | ||
In 2024, Microsoft unveiled Recall for Copilot+ PCs,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2002-01-25 |title=Competitive Processes, Anticompetitive Practices And Consumer Harm In The Software Industry: An Analysis Of The Inadequacies Of The Microsoft-Department Of Justice Proposed Final Judgment |url=https://www.justice.gov/atr/competitive-processes-anticompetitive-practices-and-consumer-harm-software-industry-analysis |url-status=live |website=DOJ}}</ref> marketed as a way for users to search through what they have done on their computer by recording their screen. This sparked controversy,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Allan |first=Darren |date=2024-05-23 |title=Microsoft’s controversial Recall feature for Windows 11 could already be in legal hot water |url=https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/microsofts-controversial-recall-feature-for-windows-11-could-already-be-in-legal-hot-water |url-status=live |website=Techradar}}</ref> especially among security experts<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hassan |first=Nilhad |title=Privacy and security risks surrounding Microsoft Recall |url=https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/feature/Privacy-and-security-risks-surrounding-Microsoft-Recall |url-status=live}}</ref> who worried about the security of screenshots, since it could easily document private information like social-security numbers, bank-account information, and passwords, as well as user browsing behavior. | In 2024, Microsoft unveiled Recall for Copilot+ PCs,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2002-01-25 |title=Competitive Processes, Anticompetitive Practices And Consumer Harm In The Software Industry: An Analysis Of The Inadequacies Of The Microsoft-Department Of Justice Proposed Final Judgment |url=https://www.justice.gov/atr/competitive-processes-anticompetitive-practices-and-consumer-harm-software-industry-analysis |url-status=live |website=DOJ}}</ref> marketed as a way for users to search through what they have done on their computer by recording their screen. This sparked controversy,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Allan |first=Darren |date=2024-05-23 |title=Microsoft’s controversial Recall feature for Windows 11 could already be in legal hot water |url=https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/microsofts-controversial-recall-feature-for-windows-11-could-already-be-in-legal-hot-water |url-status=live |website=Techradar}}</ref> especially among security experts<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hassan |first=Nilhad |title=Privacy and security risks surrounding Microsoft Recall |url=https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/feature/Privacy-and-security-risks-surrounding-Microsoft-Recall |url-status=live}}</ref> who worried about the security of screenshots, since it could easily document private information like social-security numbers, bank-account information, and passwords, as well as user browsing behavior. A massive security oversight was the '''initial''' version of Microsoft Recall gathering information into a '''plain text database'''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Beaumont |first=Kevin |date=2024 |title=Stealing everything you’ve ever typed or viewed on your own Windows PC is now possible with two lines of code — inside the Copilot+ Recall disaster |url=https://doublepulsar.com/recall-stealing-everything-youve-ever-typed-or-viewed-on-your-own-windows-pc-is-now-possible-da3e12e9465e |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250128195155/https://doublepulsar.com/recall-stealing-everything-youve-ever-typed-or-viewed-on-your-own-windows-pc-is-now-possible-da3e12e9465e?gi=e57abd81f3e3 |archive-date=2025-01-28 |access-date=2025-10-18 |website=Medium}}</ref>. Later versions of Recall subsequently encrypt the database.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Warren |first=Tom |date=2024-09-28 |title=Microsoft’s more secure Windows Recall feature can also be uninstalled by users |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/27/24255721/microsoft-windows-recall-ai-security-improvements-overhaul-uninstall |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240927170451/https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/27/24255721/microsoft-windows-recall-ai-security-improvements-overhaul-uninstall |archive-date=2024-09-27 |access-date=2025-10-18 |work=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> | ||
===System requirements for Recall:=== | ===System requirements for Recall:=== | ||
Latest revision as of 10:47, 18 October 2025
❗Article Status Notice: This Article is a stub
This article is underdeveloped, and needs additional work to meet the wiki's Content Guidelines and be in line with our Mission Statement for comprehensive coverage of consumer protection issues. Learn more ▼
Recall is a feature of Windows 11 that records the user's activity using snapshots and allows users to retrace their previous activity., using Copilot, Microsoft's Artificial intelligence(AI) assistant. It takes screenshots of the user's desktop every few seconds to be used by Copilot. It was initially impossible to remove from your computer and its screenshots were unencrypted.[1][2]
Background
[edit | edit source]In 2024, Microsoft unveiled Recall for Copilot+ PCs,[3] marketed as a way for users to search through what they have done on their computer by recording their screen. This sparked controversy,[4] especially among security experts[5] who worried about the security of screenshots, since it could easily document private information like social-security numbers, bank-account information, and passwords, as well as user browsing behavior. A massive security oversight was the initial version of Microsoft Recall gathering information into a plain text database[6]. Later versions of Recall subsequently encrypt the database.[7]
System requirements for Recall:
[edit | edit source]- A Copilot+ PC that meets Microsoft's Secure-core standard
- 40 TOPS NPU
- 16 GB of RAM
- 256 GB of storage capacity with 50 GB of free storage
- Device Encryption or Bitlocker needs to be enabled
- Users need to enroll into Windows Hello Sign-in Security with at least one biometric sign-in option enabled[2]
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ Warren, Tom (2024-09-27). "Microsoft's more secure Windows Recall feature can also be uninstalled by users". The Verge.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Retrace your steps with Recall - Microsoft Support". Retrieved 2025-08-23.
- ↑ "Competitive Processes, Anticompetitive Practices And Consumer Harm In The Software Industry: An Analysis Of The Inadequacies Of The Microsoft-Department Of Justice Proposed Final Judgment". DOJ. 2002-01-25.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Allan, Darren (2024-05-23). "Microsoft's controversial Recall feature for Windows 11 could already be in legal hot water". Techradar.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Hassan, Nilhad. "Privacy and security risks surrounding Microsoft Recall".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Beaumont, Kevin (2024). "Stealing everything you've ever typed or viewed on your own Windows PC is now possible with two lines of code — inside the Copilot+ Recall disaster". Medium. Archived from the original on 2025-01-28. Retrieved 2025-10-18.
- ↑ Warren, Tom (2024-09-28). "Microsoft's more secure Windows Recall feature can also be uninstalled by users". The Verge. Archived from the original on 2024-09-27. Retrieved 2025-10-18.