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- Microsoft Delays Recall Following Security, Privacy Backlash that Started on The Cyber Express
Microsoft Delaying Recall Feature to Improve Security
Microsoft is not rolling out Recall with Copilot+ PCs as itβs seeking additional feedback and working on improving security.
The post Microsoft Delaying Recall Feature to Improve Security appeared first on SecurityWeek.
Microsoft delays Recall again, wonβt debut it with new Copilot+ PCs after all
![Recall is part of Microsoft's Copilot+ PC program.](../themes/icons/grey.gif)
Enlarge / Recall is part of Microsoft's Copilot+ PC program. (credit: Microsoft)
Microsoft will be delaying its controversial Recall feature again, according to an updated blog post by Windows and Devices VP Pavan Davuluri. And when the feature does return "in the coming weeks," Davuluri writes, it will be as a preview available to PCs in the Windows Insider Program, the same public testing and validation pipeline that all other Windows features usually go through before being released to the general populace.
Recall is a new Windows 11 AI feature that will be available on PCs that meet the company's requirements for its "Copilot+ PC" program. Copilot+ PCs need at least 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a neural processing unit (NPU) capable of at least 40 trillion operations per second (TOPS). The first (and for a few months, only) PCs that will meet this requirement are all using Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite Arm chips, with compatible Intel and AMD processors following later this year. Copilot+ PCs ship with other generative AI features, too, but Recall's widely publicized security problems have sucked most of the oxygen out of the room so far.
The Windows Insider preview of Recall will still require a PC that meets the Copilot+ requirements, though third-party scripts may be able to turn on Recall for PCs without the necessary hardware. We'll know more when Recall makes its reappearance.
Microsoft pulls release preview build of Windows 11 24H2 after Recall controversy
![The Recall feature provides a timeline of screenshots and a searchable database of text, thoroughly tracking everything about a person's PC usage.](../themes/icons/grey.gif)
Enlarge / The Recall feature provides a timeline of screenshots and a searchable database of text, thoroughly tracking everything about a person's PC usage. (credit: Microsoft)
On Friday, Microsoft announced major changes to its upcoming Recall feature after overwhelming criticism from security researchers, the press, and its users. Microsoft is turning Recall off by default when users set up PCs that are compatible with the feature, and it's adding additional authentication and encryption that will make it harder to access another user's Recall data on the same PC.
It's likely not a coincidence that Microsoft also quietly pulled the build of the Windows 11 24H2 update that it had been testing in its Release Preview channel for Windows Insiders. It's not unheard of for Microsoft to stop distributing a beta build of Windows after releasing it, but the Release Preview channel is typically the last stop for a Windows update before a wider release.
Microsoft hasn't provided a specific rationale for pulling the update; the blog post says the pause is "temporary" and the rollout will be resumed "in the coming weeks." Windows Insider Senior Program Manager Brandon LeBlanc posted on social media that the team was "working to get it rolling out again shortly."
Microsoft Bows to Public Pressure, Disables Controversial Windows Recall by Default
Amidst public pressure, Microsoft changes the set-up experience of Copilot+ PCs to disable the controversial Windows Recall feature by default.
The post Microsoft Bows to Public Pressure, Disables Controversial Windows Recall by Default appeared first on SecurityWeek.
Researchers Show How Malware Could Steal Windows Recall Data
Cybersecurity researchers are demonstrating how malware could steal data collected by the new Windows Recall feature.
The post Researchers Show How Malware Could Steal Windows Recall Data appeared first on SecurityWeek.
Microsoftβs Windows Recall: Cutting-Edge Search Tech or Creepy Overreach?
SecurityWeek editor-at-large Ryan Naraine examines the broad tension between tech innovation and privacy rights at a time when ChatGPT-like bots and generative-AI apps are starting to dominate the landscape.Β
The post Microsoftβs Windows Recall: Cutting-Edge Search Tech or Creepy Overreach? appeared first on SecurityWeek.