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Microsoft will switch off Recall by default after security backlash

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

#351

Post by diego_sandoval »

infinitezest wrote: post #286

I have a really hard time understanding the use case for something like this. Stuff that I want to remember I just write down or reference something like my browser history or recently opened files. It's very low tech for sure but it works, is waaay more energy efficient, way easier to understand and audit, and doesnt have the same security concerns. I get that using "AI" has a Wow Factor that existing systems have b…

I think the product itself can be useful, but Microsoft is the second last organization that I would ever trust to implement it correctly, only after governments.

Giving your screen recordings to Microsoft is like giving a loaded gun to a toddler.

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

#352

Post by dylan604 »

pluc wrote: post #210
dylan604 wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Other than it potentially being abrupt and not on your terms, it's probably for the best

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

#353

Post by neonsunset »

Foobar8568 wrote: post #203

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.

You don't need Windows for .NET, there are teams which actively use Rider and VS Code while using Mac or Linux laptops.

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

#354

Post by Foobar8568 »

k8sToGo wrote: post #239
Foobar8568 wrote: post #203

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.

Are you switching to Mac?

Already bought a MBP 16" M3 Max a couple months ago

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

#355

Post by godelski »

paxys wrote: post #28
nerdjon wrote: post #6

Will have to wait and see if the extra security measures actually improve anything or not. However regarding it being opt out… what would prevent a virus from just enabling it on a bunch of machines silently. Sure it would be caught but the damage done and most won’t be bothered to go in and disable it after. Or Microsoft just decides they need to really market the hell out of AI and it gets turned on my default anyw…

What would prevent a virus from directly stealing the data it wants without going through this feature?

Virus turns on recall, user might not notice much. A real Microsoft service is running. It can then just wait and activate later. If the user notices recall on, they'll just blame Microsoft. You can then just turn it on again. You can already see that many users are suspect that it'll go back to being on by default sometime in the future too. It's not uncommon to see system updates change settings.

The virus doing the same things as recall will be much noiser and much more suspicious. Making it much more likely to be removed.

Not to mention that once recall has been running a virus only needs to extract the data. It records far more than what a password manager does and is far easier to search through. It just makes a very large attack surface.

Basically, why would anyone develop keyloggers anymore? Microsoft did it for you. And it'll never be tripped by antivirus software because it's an official and legitimately signed program. You don't see a problem with this?

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

#356

Post by haswell »

wvenable wrote: post #336
haswell wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cookies are of relatively low value compared to a database of everything the user has typed and seen.

What value is that? My auth cookies are far more valuable than anything I typed out in the open today.

Your auth cookie expires.

The username/password you type in next time it expires is far more valuable.

And it might not even be necessary to obtain cookies or credentials if I can just see whatever you could see when you’re logged into various sites.

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

#357

Post by shbooms »

whutsurnaym wrote: post #307
atribecalledqst wrote: post #260

Maybe a bit off-topic, but I sure wish they'd do this for OneDrive! I installed Windows for personal use for the first time recently (although I use it exclusively at work) and it drove me ABSOLUTELY BONKERS that my home drive was mapping to C:\Users\atribecalledqst\OneDrive. What I hated the most was that the File Explorer just calls the folders in there e.g. "Documents" and "Pictures" without showing the full path.…

I recently tried to fully rid myself of OneDrive and it took me over 48 hours to accomplish. The only working method I found involved fully enabling OneDrive, signing in, and waiting for a full sync. Only then was I able to tell it to stop syncing and finally remap Documents, Downloads, Pictures, etc. The fact that I needed to log in, wait 24 hours for my account to unlock due to inactivity (!!!), and enable sync in…

And I can almost guarentee you it will magically all turn itself back on/reinstall itself eventually after the OS force updates/reboots itself in the not too distant future.

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

#358

Post by elevatedastalt »

haswell wrote: post #143
nomel wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> that little thought has gone into privacy or security. I think the thought is proportional to the amount of thought a non-tech customer will put into it. Nobody seems to care about or understands privacy these days. Everyone knows they're being tracked everywhere they go physically and on the web. People use their real names, address, etc for every junk service they sign up for, without seeing any reason not to. If…

> I think the thought is proportional to the amount of thought a non-tech customer will put into it. Part of me wonders if this is the consequence of how accessible tech has become, and the prevalence of increasingly non-technical product managers. I'm a former PM, and I'm not here to denigrate the PM role, but the fact that a product like Recall got shipped says a lot about the makeup of the product org that shipped…

It's not surprising once you consider that all the big tech firms hire MBAs for their PM roles. The ideal PM profile for these companies is someone with consulting experience who just finished an MBA.

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

#359

Post by gigel82 »

atribecalledqst wrote: post #260

Maybe a bit off-topic, but I sure wish they'd do this for OneDrive! I installed Windows for personal use for the first time recently (although I use it exclusively at work) and it drove me ABSOLUTELY BONKERS that my home drive was mapping to C:\Users\atribecalledqst\OneDrive. What I hated the most was that the File Explorer just calls the folders in there e.g. "Documents" and "Pictures" without showing the full path.…

Or better yet, make the OneDrive integration a public, documented API so we can plug in our own cloud storage and get all the same benefits (syncing settings, files, game saves, etc. but with the added benefit of choice). I'd love to get native integration with ownCloud / NextCloud and even other online competitors.

And for that matter, make Apple do the same for iCloud; I'd love to keep all my iPhone stuff in my own self hosted "cloud" and get 1st party integration.

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

#360

Post by imiric »

whutsurnaym wrote: post #307
atribecalledqst wrote: post #260

Maybe a bit off-topic, but I sure wish they'd do this for OneDrive! I installed Windows for personal use for the first time recently (although I use it exclusively at work) and it drove me ABSOLUTELY BONKERS that my home drive was mapping to C:\Users\atribecalledqst\OneDrive. What I hated the most was that the File Explorer just calls the folders in there e.g. "Documents" and "Pictures" without showing the full path.…

I recently tried to fully rid myself of OneDrive and it took me over 48 hours to accomplish. The only working method I found involved fully enabling OneDrive, signing in, and waiting for a full sync. Only then was I able to tell it to stop syncing and finally remap Documents, Downloads, Pictures, etc. The fact that I needed to log in, wait 24 hours for my account to unlock due to inactivity (!!!), and enable sync in…

That is truly insidious, but FWIW, you don't need to abandon Windows entirely because of this. There are ways of creating a custom Windows installation disk that removes OneDrive, along with other bloatware, spyware, and pretty much anything else you don't like. Look into tools such as Tiny11 Builder, MSMG Toolkit, NTLite, etc. This is a decent guide[1] for setting all of this up.

The process is quite tedious and takes a few hours, but in the end you end up with a personalized version of Windows, without any of the garbage. You still need to be vigilant of Windows Update undoing some of this, but you can also disable it altogether and manually cherry pick the updates you want to install.

It's insane that Microsoft is building such a user hostile OS that forces users to resort to this, but if you absolutely must use it, the experience after doing the above is not so bad. I've been running a custom install of Windows 11 for about a year now without any issues.

[1]: https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/create-custom-windows-11...

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