Microsoft addresses Windows Recall backlash, promises to fix security issues and make it opt-in
Microsoft addresses Windows Recall backlash, promises to fix security issues and make it opt-in
Opt-in does not matter, if I message or email someone who has it on, my personal data has been collected without my knowledge or consent.
This shouldnt have been built in the first place, it's irresponsible
This raises an excellent point not considered. This goes for all texts as well if the other person uses the "your phone" app. Discord, matrix, signal, telegram etc are all compromised by this existing on a system.
Will my browser's "private mode" be respected or it is going to store every inappropriate thing I search?
Are password managers safe? How about bank security questions? How often are those actaully obfuscated. The last 4 digits of social security numbers are usually unobfuscated, which is also what a lot of intuitions (stupidly) use to verify your ID over the phone. What if I want to look at the PDF of my tax documents?
What if my HR manager has this enabled and starts viewing PDFs containing private information about employees, payroll data, finances and whatever else is sellable on the dark web.
How about govermnet data? Sure maybe the pentagon IT staff will completely block it, but what about local gov committee ABC that's collecting voter information?
That type of data is valuable enough that it will be targeted regardless of what protection MS attempts. Based on the fact they didnt bother encytping the data from the start, my faith is low.
The implications of this are insane.
That's true of any malware on your contact's computer or an unsecure server, though. That is not specific or novel to this feature.
(I'm not saying I like this feature, or think it's a good idea. I don't, and it's not)
So what you are saying is, is that it's malware. I agree.
I maintain one baremetal Windows install that gets fairly regular use. It's on a major OEM business class workstation with a legit Windows 10 pro license.
Recently, I had to wipe and reset and goddamn do they try and trick you into choosing all the worst spyware settings AND even if you successfully duck and weave past them, they'll just cheat and enable them, or reinstall shit like co-pilot during an update.
They just made me sign into that shitty M365 app to install a legit subscription of Office, and on the next reboot, it converted the local user account into an online user account.
Make no mistake, Recall is going to be enabled by hook, or by crook, for the vast majority of Windows 11 users in due time. No matter how many times they disable it, or opt out.
Yup. We’re back to the old days where Microsoft didn’t give a damn and enabled things by default.
It’ll take less than a decade before they get sued, yet again. By then, the penalty will be <5% of what they’ve made, but the merry go round will circle back and start all over.
Too late Microsoft, I jumped into the Linux pool and the water is fine.
Exactly. Running fedora desktop and I am thinking why the move does.not do more poeple. The only Microsoft junk I am using is the corporation laptop and that I am sure wont get this function.
"we will change nothing but announce it like we did"
Why the hell wasn't it opt-in from the beginning?
It'll be opt-in, till it isn't.
For the same reason it used an unprotected DB. Because they don't give a shit about your privacy or security.
I like daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaata
-- Microsoft
How about you promise to remove your build in spyware?
Musnt anger the shareholders
As a reminder this was the go-to play for Facebook when they were caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Default it off until nobody's looking and change it slightly so it was named 'differently' and on it went again.
opt-in until next update when it will be enabled "magically"
Let me tell exactly what will happen.
We are currently at Step 1
This comment is taken from another lemmy post but I forgot the username. Apologies.
If you don't opt in you will miss essential security updates and you will become a terrorist
I mean even if it is not mandatory but automatically enabled once, odds are %80 of the users won't even bother turning it off so win for windows in any case
I don't even care if it's opt-in. I don't want dormant malware on my PC either.
To be clear. I actually like Windows 11. I don't care about the general telemetry, though I disabled the typing data crap. Most of the things in the last few months about ads in Windows, about blocking apps, etc have been overblown and aren't actually big problems in isolation. Even this is a little overblown right now as it requires an NPU which the vast majority of systems don't have. But, this is just so tone-deaf and an obviously terrible idea that it needs to be put down hard.
Yeah, they're so focused on screwing me over that I'm worried eventually I'll miss something.
Most of the things in the last few months about ads in Windows, about blocking apps, etc have been overblown and aren't actually big problems in isolation.
Any telemetry sent without a very clearly informed opt in is malicious. Any ad in an OS is malicious. There is no valid justification for either.
as it requires an NPU which the vast majority of systems don't have
Don't have at the time. I agree with you but argument that it's not an issue for many people right now will bite the majority eventually
I don't want dormant malware on my PC either.
"Why not?"
--Micro$oft, probably
They'll always play right on or just over the line to see when/how people push back. They knew what they were doing, they started at a 9 intentionally so that people push back to and live with a 7
MS really has always done this, what's the name for this kind of marketing maneuver? Manufactured consent? Manufactured begrudging tolerance?
Like politics, were adding 200% to this inconvenience!
Then rolling back to "only" 50% (the initial target).
Door in the face
I mean... Yeah? That's kind of the point isn't it? Test the waters and figure out just how far they can push it? Find the limit of acceptance and ride that?
How do you "fix" the security issues of a program that is literally designed to spy on you?
I've just switched to Linux Mint and I'm not ever coming back. That's how I "fixed it."
Opt-in but you get an annoying full screen popup every boot, like for the windows11 upgrade. It's only a matter of time, til they sell AI recall features as Win12 and then beg you to upgrade for free, pretty please!
Or "(totally unrelated feature) is not available unless you activate AI recall. Click here to activate."
"Click cancel if you do not want to not activate it"
There is no way I'm going to use a machine where they can turn on something remotely through a update or some other fashion. I probably won't even have a 11 vm at home now. I'll keep the 10 vm for its minor uses until it can no longer do the few things I use it for but that is it for me. Remove that garbage or lose more of us macroshaft.
It boggles the mind this isn't an external download you have to specifically navigate to their website to download and install. The fact it is soon to be on Win 11 systems, just a toggle away, is terrifying. Particularly since lots of people handle your personal data, while data collectors like this are on their machines (and many of those machines will have the collector turned on).
I wish, now have a i9-14900KF, so guessing no more Windows 10 anymore. Planning to make a Linux partition, but frustrating the way that Windows tries so adamantly to take boot priority.
security issues as in its very existence?
It feels like these huge ass companies are just testing people's reactions before they do something these days.
Windows 10 will be the last windows I will use. Already switching to Linux at least part time to wean myself off of Microsoft
"Make it opt-in" (for 6 months) At this point, Microsoft is the biggest advisement for Linux desktop
If somebody shows you who they really are, believe them the first time...
My 10 year prediction - Microsoft does a full transition to a services company:
There were already rumors halfway between 10 and the release of 11 that they wanted to do it that way, making 10 the last "standalone" release version
Too little too late, I'm not getting any more versions of windows.
Windows 10 will be the last I work on. I work in tech and won't accept 11 as a work environment either.
Pretty sure they already said it would be opt-in. This is just planned damage control. The fools have already shown their hand. Again.
I heard it was opt-out originally, but I haven't looked into it tbh
So it will use AI to auto detect penises to prevent embarrassing video recordings.
Time to get a wiggly, wobbly dick cursors.
No judgement for your choices, but just so you know, it's basically no work for the majority of games.
I've been researching wine and proton for Linux. Fuck windows! The only reason I still use it is for gaming but if wine works as advertised I'll be switching to Linux.
Add Lutris to that list. If anything doesn't work in WINE, try installing via Lutris. My AxeFX's GUI now works flawlessly thanks to an older version of WINE running in Lutris.
Yeah I don’t know what to do with this. I’m about to start to start wfh and handle a lot of data that cannot be shared and comes with big fines for mishandling. I have to have office, mainly excel. Is Apple my only option? I know Linux exists, but I’m not a power user, I struggle with my printer.
I would recommend a VM to try a few things. HyperV, while not the greatest, is good to start off and comes with Windows Pro. Set up a Debian or Ubuntu and a Windows VM and take away its internet. That should get you most of the way.
Is your company not providing you a computer? It's up to them to manage that risk.
I am going wfh and I have to use their one drive to access client data. They will provide a computer, but versus my home setup it’s simply not worth it. I saw the idea about virtual windows and Linux machine. I’ve never done it but I imagine I can with some trial and error. But I’m wondering if even that is safe.
"We won't turn it on and will never use it to spy on you" says government backed surveillance monopoly know for sneaking spyware into products and making it impossible to remove.
It will now require Windows Hello (via facial recognition and/or fingerprint)
So Microsoft also wants my fingerprints and a realtime capture of my face? Yeah that totally addresses my concerns. /S
Oh.... Microsoft, Microsoft, Microsoft.
A friend of mine tried one of their "special offers" he nearly got himself lobotomized!
Ok, I'm gonna be perfectly honest, Microsoft recall, copilot, hello... I don't know what any of these things are. And I'm pretty sure I like it that way.
I do use Windows every day, (windows 10 and 7), but I haven't heard any reason to ever upgrade from these. All these "services" do not seem like a "value add" to me.
What about the right to be forgotten? Where is that feature? Why isn't Microsoft making and marketing a version of Windows with something like "Windows Forget"?
I'll tell you why: no opportunity to double dip by collecting and selling your personal data.
Losing all your government contracts can be a great motivator.
I'm really hoping this shit is banned on all government and corporate computers. But, with how poor IT competence is.....such a ban will be sporadic at best.
Shame I stopped believing that BS from them circa winME…
& Microsoft is sooo soft-in-the-head as to believe that we ought trust them, after this,
& the previous fiasco,
& the one before that,
& https://search.theregister.com/?q=microsoft+security+privacy&site=
( you may need to go through a few hundred pages there, to see it all )
This is their DNA: it isn't going to change, now.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Today, Microsoft announced it is addressing a recent backlash around Windows Recall, its controversial forthcoming AI-powered search service that works by taking a snapshot of your PC every 5 seconds.
Recently, it was discovered that the feature stores data unencrypted on the device.
The company says it will ensure Windows Recall data is safe by employing "just-in-time" protection, which ensures the data is only decrypted when the user authenticates into the app with Windows Hello.
Additionally, Microsoft says it will make Windows Recall an opt-in experience, meaning it won't be enabled by default on Copilot+ PCs.
Microsoft also says it's making further security improvements to Windows Recall.
It will now require Windows Hello (via facial recognition and/or fingerprint) to be set up on the system and require the user to be present in front of the screen to access Recall data.
The original article contains 232 words, the summary contains 141 words. Saved 39%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
Surely it's opt in anyway, seeing as you need some special wanky laptop with a magical AI bollocks chip for it to work.
Rather than not install it to begin with. Leeches
We have seen this game 100 times. Opt in for now and then turned on for everyone 6-12 months later. It's just a temporary move to handle the bad PR.
You forgot the best part
Silently turned on via "security" update
It's a security update because it adds new security vulnerabilities.
Or the other trick of constantly prompting "Turn on / Maybe Later" until people either accidentally accept or just give up to make nagging stop.
registry switch that'll mysteriously reset itself. we've had this shit with countless windows configurations at work that our IT guy has to battle with on the regular.
I've had so many people jump down my throat for listing some of the many obviously fucked things Microsoft did on my PC just over the life of Windows 10. (And not that it should matter, but I even paid for Pro).
I turned all their various advertising and spying "features" off through legitimate settings, group policies, whatever, and the list of things that reverted themselves over time was insane.
Can anyone give me examples of times Windows has done this in the past? I mean, I feel like this is true, but I legit can't think of anything that matches this.
In the last 6 months:
I don't want, or need, this add-on garbage.