Microsoft has made changes to its controversial “Recall” feature, now allowing users to opt in rather than having it enabled by default.
Recall was initially announced on May 20 as a forthcoming feature for Copilot+ Windows PCs. It captures screen snapshots every few seconds, storing them locally and using OCR to extract text for searchability and accessibility. The ultimate goal is to create an archive of user activity, including conversations, app usage, and screenshots.
However, security and privacy concerns have arisen due to the potential misuse of recorded information. Critics argue that Recall undermines Windows security, making it vulnerable to cybercriminals and legal requests for discovery.
Additionally, the impact on employees who lack control over these logs—while employers have the authority—raises ethical questions.
Consider the scenario of an employee in a country recently taken over by a regime or hardline government. If such authorities mandate data collection to identify specific political or ideological beliefs, Recall could become a powerful surveillance tool.
While the new opt-in approach benefits many firms, it doesn’t address the potential risks faced by employees in organisations that don’t carefully analyze the impact of this super data collection. Microsoft’s decision aims to strike a balance, but the implications for businesses, changes in employments contracts and acceptable use policies remain significant in our ever-changing world.
The BBC & Microsoft seem to be only fixating on the personal usage and NOT business useage.