Microsoft postpones general introduction of Recall

After loud criticism of its planned "Recall" function, Microsoft is making further concessions. According to Microsoft's Windows blog, the automatic saving of screenshots including analysis by AI will not be generally available on June 18, 2024, as originally planned, but initially only for registered users in the Windows Insider Program as a preview. The exact date is yet to be announced.

Just over a week ago, Microsoft had already announced that the function planned for Windows 11 would only be available via opt-in. The company also said it wanted to improve the protection of the data generated by the function. Security experts had previously warned that cyberattackers could gain access to the data.

"Security top priority"

Microsoft wants to use the function to make it easier to search for content on your own PC, which requires the newly introduced Copilot+PCs. Recall continuously creates screenshots on the computer and saves them there as a semantic index. The AI should be able to establish relationships between the content.

The function was met with fierce criticism due to potential data protection problems. Windows boss Pavan Davuluri responded by saying, among other things, that the screenshots could no longer be searched so easily. The company is now saying that it is waiting for feedback on Recall from the Insider Community before making the function available for all Copilot+ PCs. With the help of the community, it wants to ensure that Recall meets "our high standards for quality and security".

In this context, Microsoft refers to its "Secure Future Initiative", which the company made public in May. It indicates that security is a "top priority" for Microsoft. This is also reflected in the "Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security" encryption system, which is intended to secure recall snapshots

(anw)