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Microsoft will switch off Recall by default after security backlash

wired.com

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Re: Microsoft will switch off Recall by default after security backlash

#201

Post by rvense »

SavageBeast wrote: post #126

In all the MS Recall drama, I've yet to hear or read one single person utter something to the effect of "Wow - great!!! - I've been waiting for something like this for years! This will solve at least one of the major issues I face regularly!". In fact, it seems to me the only people that really want this feature are the ones trying to push it down everyones collective throat. Why is MS pushing something so hard when…

For tech savvy people, it's a bewildering feature. Why would I want some weird unpredictable AI thing when I've already got filesystem search, browser bookmarks, the neatly categorized PDF collection, and my Zettelkästen/2GB Org.mode doc/Joplin notes?

But for non-technical people, of course, computers are already unpredictable. They routinely (appear to) misplace files and overwrite them with previous versions, and if the URL falls out of autocomplete the site might as well not exist. For people who google to find the Facebook login page, this would simply be how computers should work. You tell it to give you the thing and it gives you the thing. How that happens is immaterial.

Re: Microsoft will switch off Recall by default after security backlash

#202

Post by jrepinc »

Even if it shows being turned off you can't be sure it really is. And yeah they have a tendency to secretly turn malicious features on with little updates. One would really be naive to believe them after their past bad behaviour. It is just another step in slowly boiling the frog to death. Maybe it will be off by default only for as long as people get used to it and normalise it and then, next step turn it on again, more quietly of course.

Re: Microsoft will switch off Recall by default after security backlash

#203

Post by Foobar8568 »

I am done with Windows, I really love .net, SQL Server, WSL, but I have been burnt on so many of their tools, features etc, Windows 11 was the last straw (task bar unmovable? Are you kidding me? ), and Recall will be the never look back for my personal computing.

Re: Microsoft will switch off Recall by default after security backlash

#207

Post by A4ET8a8uTh0 »

sseagull wrote: post #196
A4ET8a8uTh0 wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am admittedly mildly confused by this response. Do online portals typically use unencrypted passwords? Do they let data flow unecrypted? Are those portals somehow unusable? Could you elaborate a little bit? It is possible I am misunderstanding your point.

I have only been somewhat paying attention, but there were lots of stories about someone "cracking" the implementation of Recall and getting access to the locally-stored database. The criticism is that it is easily accessible, but it's hard for me to imagine it any other way and have it still be useful. It's still encrypted at rest, but must be unencrypted for data to be written to it. There is plenty to criticize ab…

I think you have a point there. Would you accept reverse engineering[1] as a more accurate term instead of cracking?

We are in the same boat. I saw the thing pop in my feeds in the past weeks. I skimmed it, thought it was a bad idea, but since I don't have a PC that would be affected, mostly ignored it. I think I only pay more attention today, because it is the weekend and somehow my testing is not ready for me..

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_engineering [2]https://www.wired.com/story/microsoft-windows-recall-privile...

Re: Microsoft will switch off Recall by default after security backlash

#208

Post by bigstrat2003 »

chx wrote: post #194

This is nothing. An abusive spouse will easily switch it to on. It's very likely Windows will downright push you to do so anyways. How does Microsoft intend to mitigate that harm? Because AirTags worked out just fine: > AirTags have been a tool for stalkers and domestic abusers since Apple launched them in 2021. Police records show that this is a problem, and the legal system has failed women who were targeted by sta…

This is sheer moral panic. Of course tools can be misused by bad people, but that doesn't make it the tool's fault ("how many women will be beaten and murdered because of Recall"). It is the fault of the person misusing the tool to do bad things.

Re: Microsoft will switch off Recall by default after security backlash

#210

Post by pluc »

dylan604 wrote: post #84
danielcampos93 wrote: post #36

This seems to be a feature that execs wanted, and people find creepy, and no one has the gumption to push back on the exec request.

How can you have the number of employees they do and not have a single non-sychophant employee?

Because you get fired when bringing dissenting opinions
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