Microsoft changes course on the controversial Windows 11 feature that constantly takes screenshots of your PC's screen: Now you'll have to opt in if you want to use it
Microsoft is making changes to the controversial Recall feature in Windows 11 that automatically captures images of whatever happens to be on your screen. Instead of being turned on my default, the feature will require users to opt in when it goes live.
Recall first came to light in May as part of the Copilot+ suite of tools for Snapdragon X Series laptops. It takes and stores an image of your screen «every few seconds,» the purpose being to make it easier (via the magic of AI) to find things you'd seen or been working on but have forgotten about: A funny tweet, a cool meme, or maybe that finance document you promised the boss you'd have finished yesterday.
Captured images are stored locally and aren't shared with other users or used for targeted advertising, but even so it struck me (and an awful lot of other people) as an obviously bad idea. It got even worse when it came to light that the system was really not all that secure: It was just days before researchers reportedly figured out how to bypass Windows' security to access the stored images.
In the wake of that, and widespread negative reaction to the idea in general, Microsoft has now partially reversed course. In an update posted today, vice president of Windows and devices Pavan Davuluri said users will be required to switch on Recall in order to use it, and doing so will require the use of the Windows Hello feature that enables sign-in via a PIN, fingerprint, or facial recognition. Additional security features aim to ensure Recall images are only accessible after authentication, and the search index database is also being encrypted.
Davuluri also reiterated the pre-existing privacy features of Recall, including that images are only stored locally and not shared, that an icon will provide a visual indicator when Recall is live, and that users will have full control over when Recall is running and what it's taking pictures of.
He emphasized that point in comments about how internal testers at Microsoft are
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