has sought to assuage privacy concerns about , an upcoming Windows feature that is said to help users rediscover everything they’ve done or watched before on Copilot+ PC. This naturally involves keeping traces of how you use your computer in one way or another, which has raised privacy concerns about data storage and access. In an attempt to address these, Microsoft does this before Recall starts airing later this month.
Recall will be enabled, meaning the feature won’t take snapshots (i.e. screenshots) of what you’re doing every few seconds or record your activity without your explicit permission. When you set up Microsoft Copilot+ PC, it will ask if you want to enable Recall, which is a good thing.
Additionally, those who want to use Recall must use a Windows Hello authentication method, such as facial recognition or fingerprint scanning. Callback will require authentication before allowing the user to scroll or search the activity graph. But this measure won’t make Reminder super secure — just that someone knows your PIN and can access it.
Additionally, Microsoft is adding more protection to Rollback snapshots. It will use “just-in-time” decryption protected by Windows Hello Advanced Sign-in Security. Snapshots will be decrypted and accessible only after user authentication. The search index database is also encrypted.
Microsoft says the snapshots will remain on the device (locked to a user account) and will not be used to train AI models. You can block Rollback from taking snapshots, stop snapshots, or delete specific apps. The artificial intelligence process that provides the Recall function also takes place in the device.
Recall is designed to help users find what they did on the Copilot+ PC based on what they can remember. So if they remember a shirt they looked at a few weeks ago and think they might want to buy now, they can describe the item. Recall may do a better job of finding the shirt by scrolling through your web browser history.
Recall will be able to reveal details from chats, productivity apps, emails, and more. Microsoft describes it as an effective photo storage for your computer. A preview of the Recall will be available .
