Unmasking Windows Recall: Microsoft’s Privacy Nightmare Fixed?

[@ThisWeekinIT]

Thanks for watching! What do you think of Microsoft's new Windows Recall feature?

[@ashfordj81]

Windows Recall was the final push that has had me flirting with Linux for 8 years to installing Linux Mint on my laptop & Desktop. I have a workstation that I'll keep Windows on solely for some extremely limited purposes.

[@Casey2262]

@@ashfordj81 Same here. And Mint is awesome, but takes some time getting used to.

[@guruware8612]

the one and only feature-change of this nonsense needed is: - Don't make it a mandatory install. - Make it an additional download for the nerds. - If someone is crazy enough to do so, let them destroy their life - things they already do with their smartphones and 100+ apps they "need". Why are such things part of an operating-system, and why are some/many users think its a great idea. If you forgot which shirt you were looking at an hour ago, the world stops spinning ? If finding a shirt is still that much of a problem, there are professionals to help you with. People really gone full power nuts.

[@ThisWeekinIT]

Recall goes way beyond finding the shirt you were shopping for yesterday. Windows is a product/service. Microsoft needs to have one or more unique selling points to keep you there. If all the bells and whistles were gone, there'd be no reason to stay.

[@josesardinas7660]

I'm not worried about Microsoft sending my data to "the cloud"... I'm worried about the fact that Microsoft CAN send my data to "the cloud", and most of all, I'm worried about Microsoft happily and willingly relinquishing such data to third parties including the always hostile Governments... so, no, I'm not using any version of OS that does this thing no matter how much they "trust-me-bro" me.

[@ThisWeekinIT]

Recall is just an app at the end of the day. Many apps have the ability to send data to the cloud, regardless of what OS they run on. You can choose not to use Recall.

[@josesardinas7660]

@@ThisWeekinIT Maybe I can... I'm not worried about what I do. I'm worried about what Microsoft CAN do.

[@jean-michelgilbert8136]

You don't have to use Windows is such a stupid take. You use the OS which runs the software you want to run and/or which is the standard in your workplace. On the first point, one could use adapter layers like Wine as a counterargument but it's never gonna be perfect.

[@ThisWeekinIT]

I don't see people complaining much about Windows at work. At work, data security is more the concern of the business than the individual. There are always ways to run the software you want on different platforms if you really want to. But as you point out, there will always be compromises with that. Still, the choice is there to be made.

[@jean-michelgilbert8136]

OpenAI said the same then proceeded to train GPT 3 and 4 on user data.

[@KalkuehlGaming]

And Jamal said your booty too big. So what?

[@ThisWeekinIT]

You can opt out. At least on paid plans.

[@D.von.N]

Switching to Linux. Hope that aswers your questions 😁

[@ThisWeekinIT]

Good luck!

[@tonywise198]

Yep. Done in 2020.

[@mikaelstrom1114]

I can understand that many users use Windows out of convenience, but users who actually have sensitive information, e.g. businesses, are truly naive trusting Microsoft. Perhaps this insanity will be the alarm bell that wakes people up.

[@ThisWeekinIT]

Who should businesses trust instead with their data?

[@mikaelstrom1114]

@@ThisWeekinIT Was that a rhetoric question? Not trying to be offensive, just determine how to answer.

[@nullx8]

"may be" more like "will be" :) even windows 10 becoming more and more "spamy" ... recall is just the next step i'm not against Ad's but i paid full price for all my Windows Licenses, adding ads to it where i have to opt out in some deep setup screen is just how the world is currently going where we as the consumers becoming a product that pays on top of it. a few versions down the road, windows will offer cloud storage of this data, and after change the TOS for them to allow to access it.

[@ThisWeekinIT]

If they do, and that's a big IF, then you can stop using it. Or, just not enable the feature in the first place. Problem solved.

[@pegerik]

Thank you so much for the clear update, much appreciated!

[@ThisWeekinIT]

I'm glad it was useful!

[@sidensvans67]

Microsofts back door is now a Barn Door . 👀

[@bellissimo4520]

The Black gate of Mordor... allowing the ork hordes to invade your PC...

[@crazyidiot5309]

I would love to see Intel and AMD's chip errata before even thinking about CoPilot+ or Recall. It's nightmarish.

[@TonyMatthewsComposer]

All this security is great for accessing via a user interface. However, if the info is there, and the routines are installed to create the snapshots, what is to stop them also writing the code to extract the snapshots as and when?

[@officerrambo]

what stops them to do your concerns even without introducing a feature like recall? I dont know how people go crazy about the recall feature, meanwhile continue to use and trust their windows computer or android/iphone...

[@RyanRife]

@@officerrambo Google is using everyone's navigation, search/navigation history and emails and no one seems to care....not a big leap from capturing the web data to capture the entire desktop (which is mostly web data)

[@TonyMatthewsComposer]

@@officerrambo You have a point. I think it's just that Recall is more visible.

[@ThisWeekinIT]

Absolutely. There’s no such thing as 100% secure anyway. You’ll you have to place trust somewhere. It’s each of us to decide and choose.

[@ThisWeekinIT]

Indeed. All the fuss about moving to Linux and then the first thing people do is fire up Google.

[@LawrenceKaneshiro]

I no longer trust Microsoft. I hate the advertising that seems to be sneaking into Windows applications. I hate the idea for the need to log into a MS account. I hate being pushed to use Bing or Edge. Yes, there are other choices, but there are applications that must run on Windows. I am strongly considering moving to the Apple environment, but it will be expensive. JustSaying.

[@ThisWeekinIT]

That's fine. Windows is of course best for those who are at least partly in the MS ecosystem one way or the other. If you are not, because you don't trust Microsoft, then you can trust Google instead over on ChromeOS. Or pick a Linux distro and not install any apps from companies you don't trust. Or buy a Mac.

[@Anonymous-lw1zy]

TBH, you sure do sound like a Microsoft shill, including minimizing the significance of Microsoft turning on features that user organizations had administratively disabled.

[@ThisWeekinIT]

I was suggesting that it was just a technical issue. Not that Microsoft was turning stuff on. That’s your take on it.

[@tonywise198]

Recall just needs banning. It has no place on PCs. Thankfully I use Linux.

[@ThisWeekinIT]

Users will have the option to disable Recall. It’s a choice.

[@K1NGKRUED]

Millions of people trust Microsoft, and they have done so for years. Some users know the data is being collected and don't care...I am one of those users. I have absolutely no worries at all. There is a section of social media full of alarmists and obnoxious other OS users, who can not resist taking a jab at Microsoft. If the other OSes were so great, you wouldn't have to be shouting from the mountain tops for people to leave Windows, people would do so, willingly...no cohesion.

[@Casey2262]

You like having spyware on your device? 😂good to know.

[@K1NGKRUED]

@@Casey2262 do you use Google Maps? Or any their services? Or Apple services...

[@davejohnson2134]

Russell always the anti-hot take guy. Much appreciated.

[@ThisWeekinIT]

Haha thanks Dave