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submitted 6 months ago by lemmee_in@lemm.ee to c/technology@lemmy.world

It's a nightmare scenario for Microsoft. The headlining feature of its new Copilot+ PC initiative, which is supposed to drive millions of PC sales over the next couple of years, is under significant fire for being what many say is a major breach of privacy and security on Windows. That feature in question is Windows Recall, a new AI tool designed to remember everything you do on Windows. The feature that we never asked and never wanted it.

Microsoft, has done a lot to degrade the Windows user experience over the last few years. Everything from obtrusive advertisements to full-screen popups, ignoring app defaults, forcing a Microsoft Account, and more have eroded the trust relationship between Windows users and Microsoft.

It's no surprise that users are already assuming that Microsoft will eventually end up collecting that data and using it to shape advertisements for you. That really would be a huge invasion of privacy, and people fully expect Microsoft to do it, and it's those bad Windows practices that have led people to this conclusion.

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[-] TipRing@lemmy.world 24 points 6 months ago

I know it's WindowsCentral but the article has some pretty naive takes. Given the propensity of threat actors to target Windows due to its market share it's impossible to not see a system that records user activity as a huge treasure trove for both malware and hackers.

It also doesn't mention that Microsoft claimed that it would be impossible to exfiltrate Recall data and of course researchers found it not only possible but trivial, with the data lacking even basic protections. Assurances that there are mechanisms to prevent Recall from secretly monitoring you mean nothing when prior assurances about safety have been found to be paper thin at best.

Further it ignores that telemetry gathered by Windows has dramatically increased in the last several years with methods to disable it being eliminated or undone by OS updates. Microsoft is hungry for user data and it would be absurdly naive to think that Recall won't be a tool they use to gain more of it. If not now, then definitely later.

The author does point out that Recall has been weirdly under wraps, avoiding the usual test bed for new feature rollout. Microsoft has been acting shady about the feature and then the feature itself does shady things (like record PII, credit card data, etc.), of course users are going to think the worst. At this point it's a survival tactic.

Microsoft doesn't have trust issues because of bad PR or a few missteps. Microsoft has trust issues because they have violated user trust repeatedly for decades. They have done nothing to make users feel like they care at all about keeping Windows secure and safe and they clearly have no regard for user privacy. This only question is whether this backlash will do anything to make Microsoft reconsider the way it treats its users. I predict they will learn all the wrong lessons from this.

[-] padge@lemmy.zip 21 points 6 months ago

The day Windows 10 loses support is the day I primary (or solo) boot Linux on my gaming desktop. The more news I read the more certain I am in this.

[-] Tryptaminev@lemm.ee 21 points 6 months ago

and here i am, happy that i could buy a notebook for 200 bucks less w.o. a windows preinstalled on it, enjoying my beginner friendly linux distro.

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[-] PsyDoctah9Jah@lemmy.world 21 points 6 months ago

Both Apple and Microsoft are two sides of the same coin....

One went left, the other went right, both going to the same location....

The only thing to consider is how you prefer to travel and how quickly you want to arrive....

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[-] egeres@lemmy.world 20 points 6 months ago

I do think that the concept of recall is very interesting, I want to explore a FOSS version where you have complete ownership of your data in a secure manner

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[-] masquenox@lemmy.world 19 points 6 months ago

TIL: There are still people that trust Microsoft.

[-] ysjet@lemmy.world 18 points 6 months ago

Man, there is a LOT of people in this thread hoping to normalize this, or pretend it will happen anyway, or that it's 'not really a PR disaster', or that people will ignore it, or-

Go make your money elsewhere, christ.

[-] NutWrench@lemmy.world 16 points 6 months ago

The switch to Linux will have to come from the bottom up. Corporations will NOT switch until Microsoft costs them serious money.

[-] 58008@lemmy.world 16 points 6 months ago

I wish Linux weren't completely fucking impenetrable for casual users.

[-] Metz@lemmy.world 18 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

I don't think a casual user would in many cases even be able to tell the difference. I mean you have a desktop with some icons which most of people only use to start the browser which is absolutely identical in both systems.

You have a start menu with other programs and you have a task bar which shows the open programs and some status icons and a clock.

It is really not that different. Most people just start a browser and go on Facebook or eBay or whatever, use a simple word processor for the daily needs. I don't think they would be able to tell the difference.

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[-] elias_griffin@lemmy.world 14 points 6 months ago

OH, it was been a long time coming seeing this type of headline again, it's....glorius!

Microsoft is most years a #1 and sometimes a #2 Funder of: Rust, Python, and Linux. Are those destined for an E^3 "rug pull" too? Will it ever stop this kind of behavior, consistently conforming our behavior to itself with the money and industry position it leverages?

Don't forget in calculating that industry position that OpenAI is now able to contract to the DoD for offensive capability.

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[-] foggy@lemmy.world 14 points 6 months ago

It's the 1, 2, 3, 4 punch of

"Haha windows 10 EOL is soon and no your computer cannot upgrade 😏"

Followed by the

"We're thinking about.. no? Okay well anyways, we're gonna shove ads into the UX, even after backpedaling after backlash"

Then the

"Listen the security situation is p bad and we're not too sure what to do about it. Lots of internal accts have been compromised. Probably yours too, we don't really know. Shhh, we got big AI news soon."

And lastly the

"Unveiling, the biggest security nightmare tool in the history of connected devices. From the writers of Total Recall and the masterminds behind Ads in your OS comes: Recall!"

I don't care what windows does to rectify this. My parents next machines are either Linux or Chromebooks.

If windows 12 isn't FOSS, Microsoft can pound sand.

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this post was submitted on 08 Jun 2024
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