It’s a nightmare scenario for Microsoft. The headlining feature of its new Copilot+ PC initiative, which is supposed to drive millions of PC sales over the next couple of years, is under significant fire for being what many say is a major breach of privacy and security on Windows. That feature in question is Windows Recall, a new AI tool designed to remember everything you do on Windows. The feature that we never asked and never wanted it.
Microsoft, has done a lot to degrade the Windows user experience over the last few years. Everything from obtrusive advertisements to full-screen popups, ignoring app defaults, forcing a Microsoft Account, and more have eroded the trust relationship between Windows users and Microsoft.
It’s no surprise that users are already assuming that Microsoft will eventually end up collecting that data and using it to shape advertisements for you. That really would be a huge invasion of privacy, and people fully expect Microsoft to do it, and it’s those bad Windows practices that have led people to this conclusion.
Both Apple and Microsoft are two sides of the same coin…
One went left, the other went right, both going to the same location…
The only thing to consider is how you prefer to travel and how quickly you want to arrive…
For those of you that don’t know about this OS and are tired of Microsoft’s bullshit, you can look into supporting ReactOS as a true Windows alternative which needs it, and you feel you want to give the middle finger to Copilot, Copilot+ PC initiative, and Windows Recall. It can even be made to look like you have went back in time to the Windows XP era with the use of a theme and yet its not Windows, and could run things that you could already run in Windows 10. If even says you can fork it on Github, meaning you could choose to labor for months using it and Linux Technology to build a better OS to replace Windows using it and Linux Technology. And if you already going going FOSS by using Libra Office instead of Microsoft Office, LibraWolf instead of Firefox, and are currently looking to FOSS for your paint program and other things you use, why not look into going FOSS with your OS as well.
you can use O&O shutup10++ to disable recall now
Why is Lemmy showing me news from the 00’s?
You know what would be a nice thing to put into windows?
A fucking decent way to search for files.
Also, grep and tail, as implemented in Linux. It’s 2024 and there’s no native equivalent to
tail -f *.log. How embarrassing.Well, getting their OpenID Signing Key for Azure Active Directory stolen was magnitudes worse in my opinion.
Um… I actually want this feature. Maybe if its FOSS and I own the data. But the idea is amazing.
Microsoft has done nothing to earn any good will or trust. Everything seems to spite the user or just harvesting maximum user data.
The switch to Linux will have to come from the bottom up. Corporations will NOT switch until Microsoft costs them serious money.
I don’t want to be the guy that always says Linux, but… …Linux
TL;DR:
- Windows Recall, part of Microsoft’s new Copilot+ PC initiative, has sparked major privacy and security concerns.
- The feature uses AI to capture and store screen data locally, allowing users to search for past activities using natural language.
- Despite assurances that data is not uploaded to the cloud or used by Microsoft, user trust is lacking.
- Microsoft has a history of practices that have eroded user trust, including obtrusive ads, ignoring user preferences, and requiring Microsoft Accounts.
- Users are skeptical, fearing future misuse of the collected data for advertising or AI training.
- Windows Recall reportedly stores data unencrypted, making it vulnerable to access by third-party apps and potential malware.
- The open nature of Windows amplifies these risks, unlike more secure systems like iOS and Android.
- Users have compared Windows Recall to spyware, with many threatening to switch to other operating systems like Linux or Mac.
- Microsoft’s attempts to keep the development of Windows Recall secret did not help build trust.
- Windows Recall will only be available on new Copilot+ PCs, requiring specific hardware not present in existing PCs.
- Users will have the option to disable the feature, but there are concerns about it being enabled by default.
- Despite security issues, the feature is effective in helping users find lost or forgotten data.
- It could improve productivity if trust and security concerns are resolved.
I finally switched to Linux Mint a week ago. I’ve just had enough of Microsoft and I couldn’t think of any more reasons why I shouldn’t switch.
I’ve got Libre Office for all my productivity needs. All my Steam games work under Linux. My VPN works just fine. Firefox for web browsing. Thunderbird for email. And Wine to run those 1-2 Windows programs that I just can’t do without.
Buy a mac or support steamOS adoption or just get a linux distro. This will drive the improvement of nontechnical consumer GNU/Linux
It’s the 1, 2, 3, 4 punch of
“Haha windows 10 EOL is soon and no your computer cannot upgrade 😏”
Followed by the
“We’re thinking about… no? Okay well anyways, we’re gonna shove ads into the UX, even after backpedaling after backlash”
Then the
“Listen the security situation is p bad and we’re not too sure what to do about it. Lots of internal accts have been compromised. Probably yours too, we don’t really know. Shhh, we got big AI news soon.”
And lastly the
“Unveiling, the biggest security nightmare tool in the history of connected devices. From the writers of Total Recall and the masterminds behind Ads in your OS comes: Recall!”
I don’t care what windows does to rectify this. My parents next machines are either Linux or Chromebooks.
If windows 12 isn’t FOSS, Microsoft can pound sand.
The article was revised with a PR release from Microsoft saying they’ll make the feature opt-in.
Let’s of course not forget that things like upgrades to Windows 11, and use of an MS Account instead of local account, were opt-in…until they weren’t. Require them to sign a contractual agreement that this feature will remain opt-in forever.
