If you remember, back in June, Microsoft decided not to introduce the controversial Recall feature for Copilot AI computers, which takes screenshots of everything you do. Now Microsoft has delayed the recall again, asking for time to “refine” the feature.
Indeed, after Recall was delayed in June, the plan was to make it available for testing to Windows Insiders within a few weeks. This plan was then postponed to October. However, even these narrow aspirations have been abandoned, and it appears that Microsoft is not confident enough to release the Recall feature only in beta for testing.
“We are committed to providing a unthreatening and trustworthy experience with Recall. To ensure we deliver these critical updates, we are taking extra time to refine the experience before previewing it to Windows Insiders” – Brandon LeBlanc, Senior Windows Product Manager, he told The Vergeadding, “originally scheduled for release in October, Recall will now be available for preview as part of the Windows Insiders program on Copilot Plus computers through December.”
Lest you forget, Recall uses artificial intelligence algorithms running locally on your PC to take screenshots of everything you do on your computer, creating a timeline you can scroll and search.
However, security researchers discovered that the Recall database where all the screenshots are stored was not encrypted, which created a huge security hole. After all, if Recall records almost everything you do, that could easily include private correspondence, banking details, and work.
In addition to addressing this basic security issue and several others, Microsoft is also making Recall available as an optional feature instead of the default feature and allowing Copilot PC users to uninstall it completely.
The Recall database is now fully encrypted, which is welcome even if it’s demanding to believe at first, and access to Recall is now only possible via Windows Hello authentication.
It is unclear whether Microsoft will meet even the modest December testing deadline. As for when Recall might be implemented as an official feature for Windows 11 Copilot PCs, that’s anyone’s guess. It’s good that Microsoft seems to be taking a cautious approach to the matter now.
However, this whole debacle only serves to reinforce the broader impression that the AI industry is throwing everything against the wall in the hope that something will stick, and in the meantime not caring much about the consequences.
