Microsoft Copilot

Microsoft re-released its Recall feature for Copilot+ PCs in 2025, after delaying the screen-recording search tool in 2024 amid backlash from security experts and a UK watchdog investigation into its handling of screenshots. The original Recall drew criticism for potentially capturing private data such as social-security numbers, bank-account information and passwords, and a Python script called "TotalRecall" was developed to collect the screenshots and descriptions of those recordings. Microsoft says the re-released version resolves the security flaws and ships disabled by default.

| ← Older revision | | Revision as of 05:06, 25 September 2026 | | | One intermediate revision by the same user not shown | | | | | Line 26: | | Line 26: | | | | ==Incidents== | | ==Incidents== | | | | | ===Recall=== | | | | | :''Main article: Microsoft Copilot's recall feature '' | | | | | In 2024, Microsoft unveiled ''Recall'' for ''Copilot+ PCs'', marketed as a way for users to search through what they have done on their computer by recording their screen. This sparked controversy,<ref {{Cite web \|last=Allan \|first=Darren \|date=2024-05-23 \|title=Microsoft’s controversial Recall feature for Windows 11 could already be in legal hot water \|url=https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/microsofts-controversial-recall-feature-for-windows-11-could-already-be-in-legal-hot-water \|url-status=live \|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251002141424/https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/microsofts-controversial-recall-feature-for-windows-11-could-already-be-in-legal-hot-water \|archive-date=2025-10-02 \|access-date=2026-09-25 \|website=TechRadar \|language=en}}</ref especially among security experts<ref {{Cite web \|last=Hassan \|first=Nihad \|date=2024-11-04 \|title=Privacy and security risks surrounding Microsoft Recall \|url=https://www.techtarget.com/ai/feature/Privacy-and-security-risks-surrounding-Microsoft-Recall \|access-date=2026-09-25 \|website=TechTarget \|language=en\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251209084156/https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/feature/Privacy-and-security-risks-surrounding-Microsoft-Recall\|archive-date=2025-12-09\|url-status=live}}</ref who worried about the security of screenshots,<ref {{Cite web \|last=Carroll \|first=Mickey \|date=2024-05-22 \|title=Microsoft AI feature investigated by UK watchdog over screenshots \|url=https://news.sky.com/story/microsoft-ai-feature-investigated-by-uk-watchdog-over-screenshots-13141171 \|website=Sky News\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260203142620/https://news.sky.com/story/microsoft-ai-feature-investigated-by-uk-watchdog-over-screenshots-13141171\|archive-date=2026-02-03\|url-status=live}}</ref since it could easily document private information like social-security numbers, bank-account information, and passwords, as well as user browsing behavior. A ''Python'' script was developed, called "''TotalRecall''", that collects the screenshots and descriptions of these recordings,<ref {{Citation \|last=Hagenah \|first=Alex \|title=TotalRecall \|date=2026-09-24 \|url=https://github.com/xaitax/TotalRecall \|access-date=2026-09-25\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260204070642/https://github.com/xaitax/TotalRecall\|archive-date=2026-02-04}}</ref proving the danger of ''Recall''. This feature was delayed after backlash from users.<ref {{Cite web \|last=Arntz \|first=Pieter \|date=2024-06-17 \|title=Microsoft Recall delayed after privacy and security concerns \|url=https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2024/06/microsoft-recall-delayed-after-privacy-and-security-concerns \|access-date=2026-09-25 \|website=Malwarebytes \|language=en\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251229124341/https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2024/06/microsoft-recall-delayed-after-privacy-and-security-concerns\|archive-date=2025-12-29\|url-status=live}}</ref | | | | | In 2025, Microsoft re-released ''Recall'',<ref {{Cite web \|last=Davenport \|first=Corbin \|date=2025-04-25 \|title=Windows Recall Is Finally Rolling Out After Controversial Reveal \|url=https://www.howtogeek.com/windows-recall-is-finally-rolling-out-after-controversal-release/ \|access-date=2026-09-25 \|website=How-To Geek \|language=en\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260218203614/https://www.howtogeek.com/windows-recall-is-finally-rolling-out-after-controversal-release/\|archive-date=2026-02-18\|url-status=live}}</ref with claims that the tool has resolved the security flaws and it coming disabled by default.<ref {{Cite web \|last=LeClair \|first=Dave \|date=2025-04-11 \|title=Microsoft Recall is rolling out following major controversy — what you need to know \|url=https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/microsoft-recall-is-coming-for-real-this-time \|access-date=2026-09-25 \|website=Tom's Guide \|language=en\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251119223853/https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/microsoft-recall-is-coming-for-real-this-time\|archive-date=2025-11-19\|url-status=live}}</ref However, despite integrating better security, having this feature enabled continues to pose privacy risks for consumers, as it is only a matter of when a vulnerability is discovered for the problems both consumers and businesses initially had with the tool to resurface,<ref {{Cite web \|last=Lewis \|first=Nick \|date=2025-05-05 \|title=Turn Off Windows' Recall to Protect Your Privacy \|url=https://www.howtogeek.com/how-to-disable-recall/ \|access-date=2026-09-25 \|website=How-To Geek \|language=en\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260216130638/https://www.howtogeek.com/how-to-disable-recall/\|archive-date=2026-02-16\|url-status=live}}</ref <ref {{Cite web \|last=Piltch \|first=Avram \|date=2025-08-01 \|title=Microsoft Recall can still nab credit cards, passwords, info \|url=https://www.theregister.com/security/2025/08/01/microsoft-recall-can-still-nab-credit-cards-passwords-info/971447 \|access-date=2026-09-25 \|website=theregister \|language=en-US\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260201105110/https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/01/microsoft recall captures credit card info/\|archive-date=2026-02-01\|url-status=live}}</ref especially since it is difficult for users to inspect the screenshots that are taken by the tool. | | | ==Lawsuits== | | ==Lawsuits== | | Line 31: | | Line 39: | | | | ==See also== | | ==See also== | | | Artificial intelligence\|Artificial Intelligence | | Artificial intelligence\|Artificial Intelligence | | | DeepSeek | | DeepSeek | | | Perplexity AI | | Perplexity AI | | | Google Gemini | | Google Gemini | | | OpenAI | | OpenAI | | | ChatGPT | | ChatGPT | | | Anthropic | | Anthropic | | | Claude | | Claude | | | ==References== | | ==References== |