It’s a nightmare scenario for Microsoft. The headlining feature of its new Copilot+ PC initiative, which is supposed to drive millions of PC sales over the next couple of years, is under significant fire for being what many say is a major breach of privacy and security on Windows. That feature in question is Windows Recall, a new AI tool designed to remember everything you do on Windows. The feature that we never asked and never wanted it.

Microsoft, has done a lot to degrade the Windows user experience over the last few years. Everything from obtrusive advertisements to full-screen popups, ignoring app defaults, forcing a Microsoft Account, and more have eroded the trust relationship between Windows users and Microsoft.

It’s no surprise that users are already assuming that Microsoft will eventually end up collecting that data and using it to shape advertisements for you. That really would be a huge invasion of privacy, and people fully expect Microsoft to do it, and it’s those bad Windows practices that have led people to this conclusion.

  • FlashMobOfOne
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    357 months ago

    That’s usually what I think too, but after watching how Twitter’s gone to shit since the two big user departures, I think this could legitimately affect Microsoft’s bottom line.

    • Voytrekk
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      687 months ago

      That will rely on businesses moving away from Windows. That is where they make a ton of their money with Enterprise licenses and Office 365 subscriptions.

        • @[email protected]
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          417 months ago

          They do care about keeping their company secrets and proprietary info though. Recall could make corporate espionage a cake walk.

        • @[email protected]
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          127 months ago

          We handle a lot of IP on our Windows PCs so it’s debatable. However, in recent years, Microsoft has taken over most of our services with SSO, office 360, teams, etc so who knows.

        • @[email protected]
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          7 months ago

          If you look at sysadmin forums and groups it seems like most recommend disabling recall. Just about every enterprise will have confidentiality, security, or legislative requirements that recall is simply inconsistent with. It’s understandably been a hot topic.

      • FlashMobOfOne
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        7 months ago

        Yup. It’ll depend on how they handle Recall at the institutional level.

        It’s a given that hospitals and law firms will have to turn it off, as they’re required by law to honor privilege. We’ll see what choices they make.

        I find the nosedive in Twitter’s stock price these last few years encouraging. It seems for many there is a red line.

    • @[email protected]
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      157 months ago

      Twitter is a great example of the exact opposite being true. Are people upset? Absolutely. Did they leave the platform? Nope. Maybe a small percentage.

      • @[email protected]
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        107 months ago

        Twitter definitely lost a ton of users and tons continue to leave. That’s why advertisers have pulled out and their stock price has tanked. Twitter is a bad example

      • @[email protected]
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        37 months ago

        It’s X.

        Stop deadnaming X.

        Anyone still clinging to the remnants of its former existence, please close your account. Stop kidding yourself.

          • @[email protected]
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            27 months ago

            You say that but deep down you know it’s Elon Musk’s X now. The dream is no more. You’re an X’er Harry!

        • @[email protected]
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          87 months ago

          I’ll stop deadnaming Twitter when Musk stops deadnaming his trans daughter.

          And for the record, I’ve never used Twitter. It’s always kinda sucked. Now it really sucks.

          • @[email protected]
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            7 months ago

            Musk is a complete shithead and that’s not gonna happen.

            Calling it Twitter is only going to accommodate the people that refuse to get off that nazi network.

            Cause you know Musk gets off on the hate of people still calling it Twitter, exactly because how he treats deadnaming.

    • @[email protected]
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      137 months ago

      I believe the biggest thing that will hurt MS is moving to subscription. The vast majority of users aren’t gonna wanna have a forever fee when they buy a laptop/PC

      • FlashMobOfOne
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        57 months ago

        That’s definitely going to be a problem for them, yes, because it’s also going to drive a ton of traffic to Linux and Linux is going to get even better.