Microsoft’s Controversial Recall AI Feature Begins Rollout, Privacy Concerns Remain

Key Takeaways

• Microsoft has started to roll out its Recall feature to limited users in the U.S.
• The tech giant confirmed a wave of changes to the AI-powered tool.
• Some experts remain concerned about the feature’s threat to privacy.

Microsoft has started rolling out its controversial AI-powered tool for some users of its AI PCs and laptops.

Copilot+ Recall was initially met with pushback from privacy experts and users who believed the feature could dangerously create a treasure trove of personal information for potential bad actors.

The tech giant stripped some of Recall’s most controversial features last year as it claimed to work towards a release with “security and privacy in mind.”

Revamped Recall

Microsoft’s Recall constantly screenshots screen activity so users can easily search for information they saw earlier. 

The idea behind this is that all the data will be stored and indexed locally on a PC, allowing users to easily search for lost websites, documents, and conversations.

Microsoft’s AI search feature was originally slated to be part of its highly anticipated Copilot Plus PC , which was released on June 18. 

However, the tech giant was forced to delay after a myriad of concerns raised by experts and users. 

“We have heard a clear signal that we can make it easier for people to choose to enable Recall on their Copilot+ PC and improve privacy and security safeguards,” Pavan Davuluri, corporate vice president of Windows and devices, said in June.  

As previously reported, Recall will remain an “opt-in” feature and will not be turned on by default for users.

What Happened To Recall?

The feature, initially slated for a June debut, was met with widespread concern from security experts warning that the AI search feature will save too much personal information.

Privacy campaigner Dr Kris Shrishak, told the BBC that while the “opt-in” system was “an improvement,” the feature remained a significant security risk.

“Information about other people, who cannot consent, will be captured and processed through Recall,” he said.

The feature will take screenshots of everything on the screen, meaning text messages and files sent from someone that were intended to be private will be stored locally on the device.

“Think of disappearing messages on Signal that is stored on Recall forever,” he added.

Microsoft Upgrades

Microsoft has urged that the feature does not share snapshots or data with “Microsoft or third parties,” and also requires confirmation of identity before a user can gain access.

“You are always in control of what snapshots are saved and can pause saving snapshots at any time,” Microsoft wrote in an April 10 blog post .

Microsoft also claimed that users can toggle which apps and browsers use the feature, and users are able to delete screenshots they do not want.

Ethical Hacker Exposed Feature

In June 2024, when early versions of Recall began being released to Windows candidates, an ethical hacker launched a tool that successfully gained access to all information stored on the machine.

Writing about the tool on GitHub , hacker Alex Hagenah said: “TotalRecall copies the databases and screenshots and then parses the database for potentially interesting artifacts.”

“You can define dates to limit the extraction as well as search for strings (that were extracted via Recall OCR) of interest. There is no rocket science behind all this,” he added.

Microsoft’s AI PC Bet

Like every other tech giant, Microsoft is betting big on AI and integrating the technology into almost all of its systems and hardware. 

The Copilot Plus PC has become an important part of Microsoft’s strategy to bring AI to the mainstream.

The PCs are specifically designed to run AI tasks on neural processing units, giving users access to expansive video editing, data management, and, of course, Recall. 

On Wednesday, April 9, a senior executive at Dell told PTI that by 2028, nearly 98% of all PCs will include AI capabilities.

“By 2028, almost 98 percent of all PCs will be AI PCs, equipped with new neural processing units that can handle AI tasks directly on the device,” Belgundi said.

“It will take productivity, creativity, and collaboration to new levels during the workday. It’s going to be huge,” he added.