Microsoft's Controversial Recall Scraper is Finally Entering Public Preview 34
Microsoft has released a public preview of its redesigned Windows Recall feature, five months after withdrawing the original version due to security concerns. The feature will initially be available only on Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite and Plus Copilot+ PCs running Windows Insider Dev channel build 26120.2415.
Recall, which continuously captures and indexes screenshots and text for later search, now includes mandatory encryption, opt-in activation, and Windows Hello authentication. The feature requires Secure Boot, BitLocker encryption, and attempts to automatically mask sensitive data like passwords and credit card numbers. The feature is exclusive to Copilot+ PCs equipped with neural processing units for local AI processing.
Recall, which continuously captures and indexes screenshots and text for later search, now includes mandatory encryption, opt-in activation, and Windows Hello authentication. The feature requires Secure Boot, BitLocker encryption, and attempts to automatically mask sensitive data like passwords and credit card numbers. The feature is exclusive to Copilot+ PCs equipped with neural processing units for local AI processing.
Opt-in Activation... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Opt-in Activation... (Score:5, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
Completely agree on the "no dual boot garbage". Instead of researching and learning new ways of doing things I would often fall victim to booting back into Windows because it was familiar. It wasn't until I ditched Windows completely that Linux became much friendlier. It's a change, a big change for sure, but one you may want to consider given Microsoft's complete lack of sense and insistence on monetizing and spying on your personal life. "Opt-In" only lasts as long as the latest EULA revision.
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Why wait? People yell about games but Steam has made a lot of Windows only games run fine on Linux.
Because it's not the games, it's the drivers. I'll relate a recent story. I have a fairly new gaming laptop. I tried a couple of different distros (including Mint) everyone of them either failed to play nice with my sound or my GPU (never both though?!?!). Now could I do the research to eventually find a solution? Yes of course, but the point is, that I do not want to devote several (probably many) hours to do what should just work. I preferer to just use a stripped down version of Windows. Tell Linu
Re:Opt-in Activation... (Score:5, Insightful)
You probably also said this when...
* ...Windows started returning all kinds of information about you to their servers (metrics). ...Microsoft started sabotaging Chrome. ...Microsoft thought it a good idea to insert ads in Windows. ...Microsoft started introducing annoying full screen upgrade ads. ...Microsoft required a Microsoft account in order to use your OS. ...Microsoft required TPM 2.0 for you to run their OS.
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In each situation you did not quit Windows. Many, many, people say the same thing you do, and then end up doing exactly nothing.
Do you understand that I call bullshit on your statement?
Re: Opt-in Activation... (Score:2)
That's a good reason not to use a Mac, but what does it have to do with Linux?
Re: Opt-in Activation... (Score:1)
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I have two laptops. Linux for (software) development and Windows for generic use.
From about 2007-2014 I similarly used to have two laptops, but reversed from you! I had a Windows laptop for when work required that, and a Macbook Pro for when it did not and for personal/home use.
I've had Linux since Slackware (1993) at home for consulting, but not on laptops. (I started using Unix when it was V6 in the 1970s.)
My history of platforms is vast (53 years hacking) and unique (a huge amount of Lisp Machines) and I won't bore you with it. But as for the laptop situation since the early 90s, it'
Re: Opt-in Activation... (Score:2)
If it's practical for you to switch to Linux (Score:2)
The answer is Microsoft knows perfectly well that you can and will suck it down. All of us will.
The only way you actually stop something like this is with laws and we are not going to get any laws that go against what a corporation wants for a minimum of 4 years. Like the old saying goes, elections have consequences.
I don't think there's any stopping this because the monetary value of using our data to train AI to replace ourselves is just too high. It's wort
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Why don't you switch now? Why wait?
Because the options aren't good enough yet?
From time to time I do a test with the most used or most recent linux distributions to see if I could migrate to them, and the answer so far has been “no”. Fragmentation, myriad small problems that depend on looking for help in obscure forums and browsing through pages and pages of obsolete “documentation”, You can talk all you want about Windows (and you'll probably be right) but it's still unbeatable in the part that matters most, whic
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Yep.
Try using any kind of 'recent' technology (like HDR) and you're probably entirely SOL or at best might be able to get to some superfragile temporarily semiworking setup after hours, days or weeks of headaches.
I love Linux as a server OS, but for a desktop OS there are many time and headache saving reasons to run Windows.
Re: If it's practical for you to switch to Linux (Score:2)
"You can talk all you want about Windows (and you'll probably be right) but it's still unbeatable in the part that matters most, which is making your applications work consistently and in a consistent environment (although with Windows 11 you're slowly losing that)."
Even Microsoft applications don't work reliably and consistently on Windows, even on 10.
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Why don't you switch now? Why wait?
Because the options aren't good enough yet?
From time to time I do a test with the most used or most recent linux distributions to see if I could migrate to them, and the answer so far has been “no”. [...] You can talk all you want about Windows (and you'll probably be right) but it's still unbeatable in the part that matters most, which is making your applications work consistently and in a consistent environment (although with Windows 11 you're slowly losing that).
I've managed to be a Mac user since 2002 (OSX), so there's that option. And it can run all the MS and Linux software, too. (Before home operating systems were multitasking, Apple was better. Then when Windows NT came out, that was better. For almost a decade, until Apple came out with a Unix-based system.)
I've also had Linux since 1987, and I agree with you that it is still not quite ready for prime time.
Regarding the acceptability of Windows, I don't think it's been usable much later than Windows 7 or may
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Speak for yourself. I've been running Linux full time since a year before win7 EOLed. If I need a windows only application, I have a vm instance of win11 but I've yet to use that once since I've set it up.
It has never been easier to run ANY operating system since so much of everything we do is in the browser and the browser doesn't care about the platform.
Furthermore, there is zero reason for the government to get involved in this. Zilch. Nada. Nope. You shouldn't be forcing software vendors to support an O
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Why don't you switch now? Why wait?
The answer is Microsoft knows perfectly well that you can and will suck it down. All of us will.
Not the OP, but I've been totally Microsoft free for 13 years, and that was just at work. For personal (and choice professional) purposes, I got off Windows when Apple came out with OSX (which was better than NT) back around 2002. I've had Linux since 1987, but not on my primary computers (and still not).
So as far as personal use goes, I ditched Microsoft almost a quarter of a century ago. Still waiting for the year of Linux on the desktop.
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...for now. The day that this becomes a mandatory "feature" (and we all know that day will come, and it will come soon) is the day I permanently switch to Linux.
Before that day comes there will be a period in which they nag the crap out of you and try to trick you into using Recall, just as they do with Edge. Then they will activate it without telling you, yet allow you to deactivate it - by jumping through arcane hoops - once you figure out that they've been stealing your screen caps for however many days or weeks. Finally, when they've worn enough users down, it will be permanently activated and made mandatory.
So I suggest that you start getting your Linux ducks
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Someone mentioned this in either another thread or higher up, but you can shop for distros by downloading USB boot images. This let's you easily boot from the USB stick and try out that version of Linux. If you like it, you can install it right from that image.
originally withdrawn due to security concerns (Score:5, Informative)
The security concerns are still there...
Anyway, how do we disable this co-pilot thing?
Re:originally withdrawn due to security concerns (Score:5, Insightful)
It says its opt-in, and hopefully it'll stay that way.
But, even so - my big concern is when someone (or multiple someones) in leadership start opting themselves in, followed by the eventual and inevitable exposure of sensitive information (and likely exploitation of the info) through this Recall feature. If you do IT for a living, at a minimum you should probably CYA and express your concerns to leadership... because when it happens, they're coming back to you (since it can't possibly be THEIR fault right?).
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"I have altered the deal. Pray I do not alter it any further."
Not a great position to put oneself in.
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The security concerns are still there...Anyway, how do we disable this co-pilot thing?
Oh, so you think the "co-" thing is in the machine?
Microsoft thinks the subordinate "co-thing" is
what's behind the keyboard, and that Microsoft
owns the machine and experience.
Resistance Is Futile.
You will be Co-Piloted.
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The feature requires Secure Boot, BitLocker encryption, and attempts to automatically mask sensitive data like passwords and credit card numbers.
What if you *don't* want to mask sensitive data, e.g. if you're running in a dev environment where that info is fake but you want to capture it? Is there any way to disable that feature only?
Oh good! It requires an AI chip? (Score:2)
The feature will initially be available only on Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite and Plus Copilot+ PCs running Windows...
No AI chip, no problem. I don't think personal AI PCs are gonna sell as well as the marketers think.
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I remain happy that my TuboTax VM "doesn't qualify" for Windows 11.
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hardware requirements (Score:5, Informative)
Great reason to stay on older hardware!
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This. 100%. I literally only built a new system last year because I wanted to play a new game coming out. If you aren't a PC gamer (most aren't) you would be perfectly fine on 10 year old hardware.
Sure, if you are doing video editing or major software development you could benefit from a new machine, but most people are just web browsing, emailing and maybe some office software. None of that remotely needs anything more powerful then what I had 10 years ago.
Re: hardware requirements (Score:2)
"If you aren't a PC gamer (most aren't)"
Depends on how you define gamer. Over 50% of Americans play video games, and games have always been one of the biggest drivers of the PC platform.
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I'll readily admit my definition of PC Gamer is someone playing advanced 3d graphic games such as the latest COD, Baldur's Gate 3 or something of the sort.
Yeah, playing Clash of Clans on my phone is gaming or Bubble blast or whatever the latest bullshit craze is but it feels like very different gaming.
Obviously "gamer" is a very broad term.
With the way smart phones have taken over, I'm willing to bet 50% of Americans under 20 barely touch a desktop computer.
As far one of the biggest drivers for the PC platf
Microsoft scraping your screen (Score:2)
Interesting soft launch... (Score:2)
The limit to being on Copilot PCs might make it so it never really catches on.
The only reason to get an ARM laptop is the big battery gains, and burning through that running Recall seems like a not very good idea. I mean, NPUs aren't miracles, they do require wattage like all the other things.
Just glad I can run Pro. There are usually GPO policies to turn all this off because some environments won't allow this stuff. Sad that they devalue the home edition so much and that bleeds into the pro and enterprise