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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

#491

Post by simooooo »

autoexec wrote: post #483
organsnyder wrote: post #16

I still don't understand how this got this far. Enabling this in any corporate setting would be a compliance nightmare.

I don't understand how Outlook isn't a compliance nightmare. Especially since it's moved to the cloud. The amount of very sensitive data Microsoft must have on just about every single business/industry thanks to outlook and excel is insane. At one place I worked when the company replaced my old machine with a new windows 10 system it was configured to send every single keystroke back to Microsoft. There was zero conc…

What configuration setting does that?

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

#492

Post by autoexec »

skywhopper wrote: post #395
immibis wrote: post #366

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This isn't excessive abstraction - this is just different abstraction. Files and folders are a human invention, and there's no law of nature forcing us to continue using them. It's like complaining about people forgetting how to use MS-DOS commands, when Windows (until PowerShell) was built on GUIs through and through and MS-DOS commands were only still there for compatibility. You don't have to learn MS-DOS command…

Nah. The files and folders still exist on all of these systems. So hiding them away is actually more abstraction, not “different” abstraction. UX prognosticators have been preaching for decades that anything that computer users find confusing should simply be hidden. Not made more clear, or easier to use, but just papered over so users can no longer identify a specific thing to complain about. It’s just like the weir…

> It’s just like the weirdos who try to get rid of the address bar on web browsers every few years, but the filesystem haters have been a lot more successful, and computers are more confusing as a result.

They figure that the less users know about how their device/software works the more dependent they are on developers who can then act as gatekeepers of what the user can and can't do even when the system is capable of much more. They don't want users doing things differently, or disabling things, or seeing what's going on under the hood. Keeping users ignorant, controlled, and dependent gives them a very secure feeling.

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

#493

Post by autoexec »

simooooo wrote: post #491
autoexec wrote: post #483

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't understand how Outlook isn't a compliance nightmare. Especially since it's moved to the cloud. The amount of very sensitive data Microsoft must have on just about every single business/industry thanks to outlook and excel is insane. At one place I worked when the company replaced my old machine with a new windows 10 system it was configured to send every single keystroke back to Microsoft. There was zero conc…

What configuration setting does that?

"Speech Inking and Typing" stuff. Enabled by default. It's in Windows 11 too but I don't know if that's still enabled by default.

https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/blog/microsoft-windows...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/423165/how-to-turn-off-windo...

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

#494

Post by anticensor »

adamomada wrote: post #322
GordonS wrote: post #267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nope - links to porn sites (but who browses porn without Incognito Mode! :), but it's not going to contain actual images.

I always joked around that Firefox made the incognito shortcut CTRL-Shift-P for Porn mode (I really wish they followed the “standard” keyboard shortcut)

What is the standard one?

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

#495

Post by anticensor »

ljm wrote: post #437
627467 wrote: post #427

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is this different from having screen recording on?

If you had screen recording on by default you’d run out of disk space pretty quick. MS just did what every other micromanagement company did and took screenshots every second or so.

According to that simile, Microsoft has became our boss, but for whatever reason, we have to pay Microsoft instead of Microsoft paying us.

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

#496

Post by RevEng »

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…

We used to use a similar tool in QA. Often when you accidentally reproduce something - especially something rare - you don't even realize it happened until it happened and then you can't remember what you did to produce it. Being able to look back even just a few minutes can save you hours of attempting to figure out what the magic was.

Now that I'm a developer, I often get into the flow and find myself knee deep in some work, but I forget to write notes about what I was doing. Coming back the next day, I often can't remember what issue I ran in to or how I fixed it. Having a quick way to review what I did the previous day is very helpful.

I can see a lot of potential uses for this technology, but I'm quite wary of any service that involves sending all of that data to some third party. Regardless of how much they might swear they won't use it for anything else, every company eventually sells your data for extra profit - it's just too tempting.

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

#497

Post by 7bit »

anticensor wrote: post #494
adamomada wrote: post #322

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always joked around that Firefox made the incognito shortcut CTRL-Shift-P for Porn mode (I really wish they followed the “standard” keyboard shortcut)

What is the standard one ?

Well obviously the one Chrome decided to use ... /s

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

#498

Post by Fysi »

rchaud wrote: post #145
organsnyder wrote: post #16

I still don't understand how this got this far. Enabling this in any corporate setting would be a compliance nightmare.

Corporate clients get whatever they want. I am certain that their Windows 10 support won't be pulled in Oct 2025 as MS has threatened for everyone else. And when they migrate to Win11, it will almost certainly be a separate OS image free of the garbage bloatware and ads that the consumer devices are plagued with.

Not really a problem for enterprises.

Any company that has compliance requirements to keep devices supported with security updates, it's the same as Win 7 to Win 10; you either update everyone to Win 11 or you pay for the security updates for Win 10 (IIRC you have 3 years to update before you can't pay anymore). Many will likely already be on Win 11 as the upgrade path is easier/quicker than Win 7 to 10.

Also they will not have the gunk installed anyway as they will almost certainly have Windows Enterprise which has more policies that can be set, and then they will also be ordering devices from an OEM or distributor that doesn't have the junk included.

Heck, if they aren't doing Autopilot from the OEM or distributor, they will almost certainly be applying their own Windows image.

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

#499

Post by genevra »

buildbot wrote: post #115
djmips wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just like in biology a virus can be simpler if it can co-opt existing machinery.

I agree, the ability to take screenshots is unsafe and should be removed. A virus is just a PRT SCRN away from stealing everything! (/s)

You realize sneaking in code to arbitrarily exfiltrate user data is much simpler if a trusted source (in this case Recall), is doing the collecting

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

#500

Post by Timber-6539 »

disqard wrote: post #474
kjellsbells wrote: post #467

Heres something I just don't get. Microsoft just got their ass handed to them by the US Government because os (lapses in) security. Extremely more than coincidentally, Satya Nadella told the entire Microsoft org that if anyone had to choose between features and security, to choose security. I'm hearing from Microsoft people that all product roadmaps are deferred for a few months while security features are addressed.…

I'll take a shot (not at MS, so I have no inside info). GenAI is hotter than anything else right now. As Satya publicly stated, "we made them dance" -- which shows how high-priority it is to maximize "AI innovation" at MS. If you disagree, think about how badly "Tay" blew up in MS's face and yet they still went ahead and bundled OpenAI LLM tech into all of Office365, just so they could have bragging rights about beat…

You are absolutely right. This AI race has been sort of funny to watch among the big tech incumbents.

Google kept on launching faked demos and hurriedly released an openly race biased image generator all in a bid to catch up with OpenAI.

Meanwhile Apple has been sort of lethargic. Recently annouced a deal with OpenAI to add GPT to their devices. They seem happy to continue playing catch up in this regard.

I think Meta is probably the only big tech giant that has kind of got their execution right straight from the jump. Can't point to any slip ups from their "AI announcements".

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