Microsoft’s Recall AI Tool Is Making an Unwelcome Return
1 min read
Summary
Recall is an AI tool that takes screenshots of what users are doing on their Windows 11 every three seconds, indexing and storing the data for future use.
The tool was initially launched in May 2024, but Microsoft suspended it following months of criticism and backlash from security and privacy advocates.
These experts argued it created a gold mine for criminals looking to abuse access to a Windows device, for intimate partner violence, or for preserving content sent through more private messaging services.
Microsoft has since announced it plans to reintroduce Recall in a future version of Windows 11, saying the tool will be available for insiders to test with opt-in requirements and a pause function to mitigate some concerns.
However, critics argue that users will not have control over settings on other users’ machines, posing a threat to sensitive information like passwords, medical information and encrypted messages.
The tool has been seen as one of the prime examples of ‘enshittification’, or the practise of shoehorning unwanted AI and other features into existing products with negligible user benefit.
