IF anything, the marketing strategy of selling a NPU (cpu with ai compatibilities) is half baked. I have to agree that this does point to a security risk and overall is just a feature I would simply turn off and keep off.

Additionally, as I have said in the past, a cpu with NPU capabilities isnt even as good as an rtx gpu. As stated by tech radar, Basic AI" NPU-based machines are capable of up to 45 TOPs, through RTX, that can be expanded to 1,300+ TOPs (a 2,788% increase)

Software like Recall may be exclusive to NPU based cpu's in an attempt push hardware. Luckily it is a very skip-able feature.

You know how Microsoft likes to try and push people into buying new hardware with Windows 11. They have used TPM 2.0, trivial cpu limits, and now NPU CPU's. "Recall" might not be a good idea, but it is the idea they came up with in order to make 24h2 work better with AI. They want you to buy a new pc because "Windows 11 will work better with an AI CPU"

from TECHSPOT 06/04/2024

Security researcher Kevin Beaumont says...

"Windows Recall stores its data in a wide-open SQLite plaintext database. While it is true that this is encrypted while logged out of Windows, this only protects it from someone physically stealing your computer, which Beaumont points out is not how hackers generally conduct their business. On the contrary, Recall is highly vulnerable to "InfoStealer trojans." Additionally, Recall does not censor or otherwise hide screenshots containing sensitive information or credentials that may appear on screen.

"Encryption at rest only helps if somebody comes to your house and physically steals your laptop – that isn't what criminal hackers do," said Beaumont. "For example, InfoStealer trojans, which automatically steal usernames and passwords, [have been] a major problem for well over a decade – now these can just be easily modified to support Recall.

"Furthermore, the unencrypted database files are simply stored in 'AppData' in a new 'CoreAIPlatform' folder. While this folder and the files it contains does require admin rights to access, Microsoft admits that most Windows users run as admins, so it's not really adequate security. Beaumont claims he accessed the files with only two lines of code that bypassed those protections."

"I'm not being hyperbolic when I say this is the dumbest cybersecurity move in a decade..."

Wow! I hope MS rethinks the "on by default" decision for Recall.

It does sound like if Microsoft goes through with Recall, a lot of work needs to still be done to safeguard privacy concerns. If it is on by default there needs to be a few sliders added at least the protects sensitive data such as passwords and cc info, ect.

I just don't understand why they want to make "ON" the default setting! I'm headed the Feedback Hub to upvote as many listings as possible.

EDIT: Surprisingly, there were mostly users wanting access to "Recall" without a Copilot+ PC. I guess we are the minority here.

I did post a suggestion (below) to set the default for "Recall" to OFF. We'll see how many upvotes it gets in the next few weeks. I'll let you guys know.

Please make OFF the default setting for "Recall"

I just don't understand why ON is the default setting for "Recall." This is such a controversial addition to Windows 11, and there are way to many privacy concerns, especially for users who will never be aware that it is on.

It sounds like Microsoft has capitulated after all the criticism by security experts and made "Recall" an opt-in feature. They have also adopted new security measures. Recall data will remain encrypted on the local device until authenticated with Windows Hello.

Good article. Leave it to Zac Bowden to provide a comprehensive story.

As I have said before, "Timeline" never was really accepted by the Windows 10 base. Why would Recall (Timeline on steroids) be any different.

Needing 50GB of free space is a lot, and all those screenshots could wear out your SSD faster. And not everyone has the right hardware to use "Recall" anyway.
I'm not planning to use "Recall" myself. I've been using PCs for a long time and prefer to do things my way. If you're worried about privacy or other issues, you might want to check out bnh software for more details.

I just read that "Recall" may be an Optional Feature in Windows 11 - 24H2.

from Winaero - August 29, 2024

"Microsoft may allow uninstall the Recall feature with a couple of clicks. The appropriate option is now exposed in optional features of Windows 11 in Insider builds.

"Earlier, the Redmond firm promised to make Recall flexible and more secure. Now the company follows that plan. In addition to the ability to block Recall with group policies, Windows 11 now offers the uninstall option.

The new option is exposed in the Windows Features dialog (optionalfeatures.exe) that manages optional features of the OS. The checkbox is called "Recall". By removing the check mark the user can uninstall Recall.

"It is possible that the ability to remove Windows Recall appeared due to the requirements of the European Union."

This is a welcome change in Microsoft's position concerning Recall.

Just came across this. I bet the non-European versions mysteriously lack the ability to uninstall Recall...and because of that, I bet it'll be spying in the background.

https://www.xda-developers.com/microsoft-controversial-recall-feature-uninstallable/?utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=XDA-202408300700&utm_source=XDA-NL&user=YW1uYjQ3QHlhaG9vLmNvbQ&lctg=55af43b1a98e4e16c65c101d084f97dcf5e86cb9b102d124aaa37b392ee8a903

That seems to be correct as Martin Brinkmann at gHacks confirms it here:

https://www.ghacks.net/2024/08/29/you-can-remove-recall-from-windows-if-you-do-not-want-it/?_m=3n%2e0038%2e2971%2ehj0ao01hy5%2e341t