the controversial new feature of Windows 11

This week, Microsoft presented the future of the personal computer, with the arrival of Copilot+ PC, a new system concept based on Artificial Intelligence. After the success of Copilot in Windows 11, based on the same model as ChatGPT, Microsoft did the rest with a platform based on Qualcomm ARM processors and new laptops from brands like Surface and Samsung.

Copilot+ PC devices will be able to take full advantage of Windows 11 AI features, including exclusive features. And although there are some very notable ones, such as an assistant for playing Minecraft, the one that has been talked about the most is “Recall”, a function capable of remembering everything we have done on the computer.

Recall the works by doing a screenshot every three seconds, permanently and in the background; Artificial intelligence is able to recognize what we do and record important events. This way you can answer questions related to what we have been doing lately.

For example, we can ask Copilot about a WhatsApp conversation we had a few days ago, and the system will automatically know what we are talking about and remind us what we said. You can also remember that recipe that we saw on a website and now want to make, or recover that photo that we deleted because we thought it wasn’t that important. Eventually, Recall allows you to “travel to the past”by reopening applications that we had open at any time.

It is undeniable that the potential of this technology is enormous and that This could be the “star application” of Copilot+ PC this pushes many people to buy a new computer. It is nonetheless true that this may be the application that will convince many users to abandon Windows for good and buy a MacBook. Some are even considering switching to Linux. Reminder will be enabled by default on new Copilot+ PC computers, which may put off many users.

No one escapes Recall could become biggest privacy disaster in history computer science. An app that takes screenshots of every program we open? An AI that knows absolutely everything we have done on the computer? Without context, this is so ridiculous that it seems like a bad joke.

Will Microsoft spy on me?

First of all, we need to clarify a very important point: The reminder only works on new PC Copilot+ computers, not current computers. Therefore, we do not have to worry that Windows will update and suddenly start saving everything we do; Indeed, Recall requires an NPU (neural processing unit) present in the new chips used by the latest computer models.

The good news is that Microsoft has realized the malicious potential of this technology. The problem is, that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. For starters, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has repeatedly said that Recall only works locally; It is does not send data to Microsoft serversjust like other functions such as the Copilot assistant.

All recall-related data is saved on the computer’s own storage; This includes screenshots taken automatically and information obtained. This private information is also encrypted with Bitlocker, but only in Pro versions of Windows 11. Screenshots are only associated with the computer user’s local account and cannot be shared or accessed by others computer users. Finally, Microsoft cannot access the data and these They will not be used to display personalized ads.

Although reminder is enabled by default, it can be disabled at any time from Settings. Not only that, but we will have very precise controls, which will allow us to recall do not record programs that we want to keep secret. Recall also won’t work with Edge browser’s incognito windows, nor will it be able to save content with DRM (copy protection) like Netflix.

All of these security measures are welcome, but Microsoft itself has warned that they should not be trusted 100%, especially since Recall does not perform “moderation functions.” This means that all our private data will be stored as is, and they will be displayed on the screen when we use Recall; something that can cause problems if someone looks at our monitor or if they manage to access our account (for example, if we have not set a password to access Windows).

Question of trust

As we see, Microsoft has taken steps to prevent Recall from being used to spy on us; and above all, to avoid giving the image that he is going to spy on us. But ultimately, it’s a question of trust: Do you trust that Microsoft is telling the truth? Or rather, do you think Microsoft didn’t make a mistake when implementing Recall that could be exploited maliciously?

If you’re one of the 73.5% of people who use Windows on their computer (according to Statcounter data), you’re already sure that Microsoft isn’t spying on you. The company would have the task very simple and does not need a feature like Recall to do it; Windows already runs many closed background processes that most people don’t know the exact function of. The real question is Yes The reminder can be abusedwhether by Microsoft or by hackers, and in this case, until it is released and tested by security experts, we won’t know.

Oddly enough, the biggest controversy about Recall, and the one that can actually harm the user, has nothing to do with privacy, but with performance. Microsoft has already warned that The booster will require a lot of storage to save screenshots.

On a computer with 256 GB of storage, Recall will consume 25 GB, capable of saving 3 months of computer usage; If we have 512 GB, this will consume 75 GB, and if we have 1 TB or more, it will take up 150 GB. These values ​​are changeable, but they can never go below 10 GB. It is also unknown if a service that constantly records what we do will affect the operation of the computer and whether that will make it “stuck” more or slow down, something we won’t know until we try it.