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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

#211

Post by OtherShrezzing »

hedgehog wrote: post #132

It's interesting that for years Safari stored page screenshots in its history to allow a "coverflow" view and there wasn't broad concern.

I think the main difference there (apart from the feature being deprecated over a decade ago) is that Coverflow stored a single thumbnail, from which you couldn't derive much information - it's metadata alongside your browsing history, but not much more than that.

Meanwhile Recall takes a stream of high-quality images, from which a full reconstruction of your entire computer-use activity over the last 90 days can be reconstructed in high fidelity and searched through.

From a security point of view, the threat models are a world apart.

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

#213

Post by pixelpoet »

What makes my blood boil is that they are just going to keep pulling shit like this which they KNOW everyone (with zero exceptions) intensely HATES, and it's up to everyone to push back ferociously (very high threshold) every damn time. It's up there with "not now" instead of "get rekt and never ask me again" choices in terms of user-antagonism.

I'm aware that other OSes exist, but I happen to hate Windows least on the whole :/

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

#214

Post by rurp »

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…

This applies to most AI features that have been released recently. It feels like almost every business that wants to think of itself as a tech company has been desperate to throw out as many new features as possible that they can slap an AI label onto.

Most of those features are garbage and make the product worse, either because they don't address an actual problem or because they are implemented poorly. But of course improving the product is at best a secondary concern, chasing the hype is far more important, both for the company itself and the individuals building this stuff.

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

#215

Post by skazazes »

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…

Knowing you could turn on recall to spy in this way implies an individual with the technical know how to grab a freeware keylogger anyways.

Similarly with airtags, you have been able to buy cheaper cellular based GPS trackers for years prior to airtags existing.

In the airtag case, those GPS tags also do not alert the individual that there is a beacon following their person, and as such most likely go unnoticed and under reported.

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

#216

Post by nottorp »

byteknight wrote: post #117
herf wrote: post #58

It's interesting to compare this to the Chrome/Safari/Edge browsing history, which is stored in an unencrypted SQLite database, and tracks what you do for the last 90 days. It's just a bit less visual, Incognito/Private modes work, and some users clear it more often. But a whole lot of the surveillance attacks people imagine about Recall apply just the same to the browser. I think it's the "little brother" casual att…

This is a horrible comparison. Browsing history doesnt show the contents of the page. It doesnt show you what you were doing on that page. It doesn't reveal anything other than you went there and maybe how long.

Well, on old school sites where there are static pages each pointed to by an unique url, yes it does show the contents of the page :)

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

#218

Post by [deleted] »

herf wrote: post #103
russdpale wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

no it isnt the same, you may know I went to my health care provider's website, maybe even to make an appointment depending on the url, but with recall, everything that is on the page will be stored, not just the url. It's totally different. So the message I sent my healthcare provider that is discussing some of my most sensitive medical issues will be available to read and a record is kept of it... not just the url.…

Yes, but one product cycle and there's metadata (like a background texture) that tells the OCR to skip this page. Or ask your local LLM if the user is talking about medical conditions? If you like the feature at all you can make these things work.

[deleted]

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

#220

Post by [deleted] »

pixelpoet wrote: post #213

What makes my blood boil is that they are just going to keep pulling shit like this which they KNOW everyone (with zero exceptions) intensely HATES, and it's up to everyone to push back ferociously (very high threshold) every damn time. It's up there with "not now" instead of "get rekt and never ask me again" choices in terms of user-antagonism. I'm aware that other OSes exist, but I happen to hate Windows least on t…

[deleted]
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