“Recall” worries data protection officers
Microsoft postpones launch of controversial AI feature
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A new AI function promises Microsoft users to make the search for forgotten files or websites much easier. However, data protection advocates have taken to the barricades following the announcement. The company has now announced that it will revise the function for the time being.
After heavy criticism, Microsoft is postponing the introduction of a new Windows search function that is supposed to save screen recordings every few seconds. It was originally supposed to be available on June 18 with a new type of PC. Microsoft has now announced that the function, called “Recall,” will be tested at a later date, initially on a smaller scale in the “Windows Insider” program.
According to the company, “Recall” is intended to make it easier to find information on a PC. Using artificial intelligence, the software analyzes what can be seen in the many screenshots and then creates a directory. This should help, for example, if you can no longer remember the name of a travel website you visited, but still know that palm trees and a beach were shown there. Then you should be able to find the page again by searching for “palm trees and beach.”
However, after the announcement of “Recall”, some AI security researchers warned of a data protection disaster. They warned that cyber attackers could potentially access the lists. Last week, Microsoft announced better security for “Recall” data. In addition, the feature would no longer be switched on by default when setting up the PC, but users would have to activate it themselves. The criticism remained, and now the delay followed.
Microsoft and manufacturers of Windows computers plan to launch the new PC category on June 18, which is to be more tailored to use with artificial intelligence. The device class is called “Copilot+PC”, in reference to Microsoft's AI assistant called “Copilot”.
