The announcement of Microsoft’s new Windows Recall feature has sparked a renewed debate over privacy rights and the use of intrusive AI technologies. The feature, which is turned on by default on Microsoft’s new Copilot PC machines, uses AI to create a searchable digital memory of everything ever done on a Windows computer.
According to Microsoft, Windows Recall allows users to search across time to find and re-engage with content by simply describing how they remember it. The AI-powered technology takes snapshots of the screen every five seconds while content is different from the previous snapshot, and then locally stores and analyzes these snapshots on the user’s PC. This analysis enables users to search for content, including images and text, using natural language.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has touted the use of semantic search technology to “cover all your history” and even “recreate moments from your past.” However, concerns have been raised about the potential privacy implications of this technology. Microsoft has assured users that the screenshots are locally stored and analyzed without the company’s involvement, and that no content from private browsing sessions or DRM-protected material will be saved.
Despite these assurances, some security experts have expressed concerns about the constant tracking of user activity and the potential for errors or misconfigurations to inadvertently send data to Microsoft’s servers. Microsoft has emphasized that Windows Recall runs locally on the edge device, with no internet or cloud connections required for saving and analyzing snapshots. The snapshots are encrypted and securely stored on the user’s local device, and Microsoft does not have access to or view the snapshots.
While Microsoft insists that Windows Recall is designed with privacy and security in mind, some users and experts remain wary of the technology’s potential for overreach. The debate over the balance between convenience and privacy in the age of AI-powered technologies is likely to continue as more companies develop similar features.