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Microsoft’s Controversial Recall AI Feature Gets Official Relaunch Window

Last Updated
Kurt Robson
Last Updated
By Kurt Robson
Edited by Samantha Dunn

Key Takeaways

  • Microsoft will release Recall to Windows users in November.
  • The tech giant confirmed that its previous Windows update, which showed Recall could be uninstalled, was a bug.
  • Microsoft continues to bet big on AI.

Microsoft has confirmed that, after months of pushback and criticism, it will release its controversial Recall feature to all Copilot+ users in November 2024.

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

Revamped Recall

As the BBC reported , Microsoft said it had “listened to feedback” and was planning to release a full version of Recall in November.

In a blog post last week , the tech giant reaffirmed its security options to make sure the product was as secure as possible.

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

“Recall is an opt-in experience. During the set-up experience for Copilot+ PCs, users are given a clear option whether to opt-in to saving snapshots using Recall,” the tech giant wrote.

Adding: “If a user doesn’t proactively choose to turn it on, it will be off, and snapshots will not be taken or saved. Users can also remove Recall entirely by using the optional features settings in Windows.”

Microsoft also reaffirmed how snapshots taken on Recall will be encrypted and tied to a user’s Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security identity.

“This means that other users cannot access these keys and thus cannot decrypt this information,” it said.

Off-Button Glitch “Incorrectly Listed”

On September 1, Microsoft confirmed that the latest update to Windows 11, which showed that its controversial Recall feature could be uninstalled, was a bug and will be retracted in an upcoming update. 

As Deskmodder reported, the latest Windows 11 update, 24H2, allowed users to delete Recall from the Windows Feature section. 

In a comment to The Verge , Windows senior product manager Brandon LeBlanc said: “We are aware of an issue where Recall is incorrectly listed as an option under the ‘Turn Windows features on or off’ dialog in Control Panel.

“This will be fixed in an upcoming update,” LeBlanc added.

Microsoft has not confirmed or denied if users will be able to uninstall the feature in the future. 

However, Microsoft will likely need to provide an uninstall button in EU versions of Windows 11 to comply with the European Commission’s Digital Markets Act. 

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 could create a treasure trove of personal information for potential bad actors. 

Microsoft’s Recall takes constant screenshots of activities on screen 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 its release following 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.  

Privacy and Security Risk?

In June, 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. 

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Kurt Robson

Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN with a diverse background across several prominent news outlets. Having transitioned into the world of technology journalism several years ago, Kurt has developed a keen fascination with all things AI. Kurt’s reporting blends a passion for innovation with a commitment to delivering insightful, accurate and engaging stories on the cutting edge of technology.
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