Ethical Hacking News
Microsoft has reintroduced its highly contentious feature, Windows Recall, after a temporary pause following widespread criticism over privacy and data protection concerns. The app will be rolled out in stages, with limited availability to Copilot+ PCs initially, before wider release later this year.
MICROSOFT HAS ANNOUNCED THE REINTRODUCTION OF WINDOWS RECALL IN THE RELEASE PREVIEW CHANNEL FOR TESTING PURPOSES. RECALL IS A SCREENSHOTTING APP THAT RECORDS KEYSTROKES, INSTANT MESSAGES, WEBSITES VIEWED, AND OTHER DATA IN LOCAL DATABASE. MICROSOFT HAS MADE MODIFICATIONS TO THE FEATURE, INCLUDING LIMITING ITS AVAILABILITY TO COPilot+ PCs RUNNING WINDOWS INSIDER BUILDS. USERS WILL REQUIRE WINDOWS HELLO AUTHENTICATION TO UNLOCK THEIR SCREENSHOT ARCHIVE AND DATA WILL REMAIN ON THE USER'S PC. SUPPORT FOR INTEL AND AMD COPilot+ MACHINES WILL BE ADDED LATER, MARKING A FURTHER COMPROMISE FROM MICROSOFT'S INITIAL STANCE ON THE FEATURE.
Microsoft has announced that it is once again rolling out its controversial feature, Windows Recall, to Copilot+ PCs running Windows 11. The feature, which was initially met with backlash due to concerns over privacy and data protection, has been reintroduced in the Release Preview channel for testing purposes.
Recall is a screenshotting app that silently takes snapshots of your desktop every few seconds and stores them in a local database. This allows users to later review their past activities, including keystrokes, instant messages, websites viewed, and other relevant data. The AI-powered search functionality enables users to rummage through the database using search terms to pull up specific actions.
The feature was first introduced at Microsoft's Build developer conference last May, where it was announced that Recall would be enabled by default on Copilot+ PCs. However, following widespread criticism from security researchers, IT administrators, and privacy advocates, Microsoft temporarily shelved the launch of Recall in June.
Despite this, Redmond has now resumed development efforts for Windows Recall, with the feature being quietly slipped into the Release Preview channel for testing purposes. This time around, Microsoft has opted to roll out Recall with some modifications, including limiting its availability to Copilot+ PCs running Windows Insider builds in the Dev Channel, specifically those powered by Qualcomm silicon.
In addition, support for Intel and AMD Copilot+ machines will be added later, marking a further compromise from Redmond's initial stance on the feature. The company claims that Recall will not share snapshots or associated data with Microsoft or third parties, nor will it be shared between different Windows users on the same device.
When accessing the feature, users will require Windows Hello authentication to unlock their screenshot archive. Furthermore, all data stored in the local database is said to remain on the user's PC, without being sent to Microsoft servers for analysis or processing.
However, security researchers have not been swayed by these assurances, with some having already created proof-of-concept tools designed to extract and display data from Recall's SQLite database. A prominent example of this is TotalRecall, a tool developed by Alex Hagenah that was showcased at DEF CON last year.
In light of this continued skepticism, it remains unclear whether Microsoft's efforts to reassure users will be enough to mitigate concerns over the feature's privacy implications. Despite these reservations, Recall does offer an innovative solution for those who need to review past activities, particularly in educational or professional settings.
Microsoft has stated that features and improvements might not be available to all users due to gradual rollout procedures. The latest build of Windows 11 (Build 26100.3902) is now available in the Release Preview channel, and Recall will be made available starting early 2025 in most markets, with a later release for select languages.
The implementation of Windows Recall poses significant challenges for Microsoft management meetings regarding its future development. Redmond's efforts to address concerns around data protection have been largely ineffective, leading many users to question whether the company is genuinely committed to protecting their personal data.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/Microsofts-Windows-Recall-A-Controversial-Feature-with-a-Complicated-Past-ehn.shtml
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2025/04/11/microsoft_windows_recall/
https://www.msn.com/en-us/technology/software/microsoft-total-recalls-recall-totally-to-copilot-pcs/ar-AA1CLStS
https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/microsoft-recall-is-coming-for-real-this-time
Published: Fri Apr 11 19:39:58 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
