• @twinnie@feddit.uk
    link
    fedilink
    English
    501 month ago

    Tbf I’m okay with a lot of this stuff as long as it stays local on your own PC and you have control over it. However I don’t trust MS to implement it in a way that doesn’t prioritise their profits over my privacy.

    • @paris
      link
      English
      11 month ago

      Available information indicates that it’s all processed and stored on-device (and even encrypted). I’ll wait for confirmation from security researchers, but the available information I’ve come across says that it’s all done locally.

  • QuentinCallaghan
    link
    fedilink
    English
    341 month ago

    Windows has gone cuckoo-crazy and off the rails ever since 11 came out, and even more when Microsoft decided to cash in on AI.

    • @SitD@feddit.de
      link
      fedilink
      English
      151 month ago

      i would mark the turning point as when i saw the first candy crush icon on a fresh install from official image (i.e. not some laptop vendor who are already known to push mcafee and similar bloat) I’m so confused why regular users didn’t push back on it. it’s like buying a car and it has mcdonalds and office365 logos on it.

  • @Showroom7561@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    28
    edit-2
    1 month ago

    Not defending M$, but this sounds pretty much like a browser history feature, but for your desktop. Since most people are using their browser for 90% of the tasks they perform on their computer, this probably won’t phase them.

    Still, if this feature hits my laptop, it’s going to be disabled. I have never needed to know what specifically I was doing on my computer three weeks ago on Wednesday around 2pm.

    What’s the use case for something like this?

    This feature sounds like something an employer would want to use, if they aren’t already, to spy on their employees.

    • @CrabAndBroom@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      English
      101 month ago

      Yeah I think just general data harvesting for Microsoft. Also I’d suspect if you were doing something like pirating TV shows maybe you could get busted that way even with a VPN? If the AI is set up to recognize it and report it I mean.

    • @MangoPenguin
      link
      English
      71 month ago

      What’s the use case for something like this?

      I could see it being handy for work, sometimes when designing parts I’ll find a component that looks like a good fit but will forget to note it down or bookmark it.

      Summarizing previous conversations with a customer for support via email/chat would also be nice, so I don’t have to manually go through a bunch of threads to remember what products they have and such.

      • @Showroom7561@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        English
        41 month ago

        It sounds like these use cases would be better served if this feature was a specific, opt-in available in an enterprise version or a separate, third-party product (i.e. screen capture software that will ONLY record what you do in the software in question, when you want it to).

        But baked into a consumer OS (not the business version) seems excessive. Who knows, maybe people will find good uses for it at home. I’m cynical and don’t believe that M$ designed this for the user’s benefit.

        On the positive side (at least for now), this is a local-only, encrypted data feature.

      • @kurcatovium@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        31 month ago

        Ahh, so you want to know what Joe did last friday afternoon on companys work PC? No problem, you can unlock this fearure either for mere $3 for this specific case or low low $25 monthly subscription for spying on Joe all the time … probably someone over in MS

  • @moon@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    English
    271 month ago

    What a dangerous path we’re walking down. All in service of a slightly better Clippy experience

  • @uriel238
    link
    English
    211 month ago

    To me this sounds like a feature to justify recording everything done on the PC in order to phone it back to Big MS.

    This reminds me of the period when AAA game companies were trying to mandate persistent online connection as part of DRM, and looked specifically for game mechanics to justify it. It often didn’t work, or worsened the game.

    • ultratiem
      link
      fedilink
      English
      21 month ago

      It always makes it worse for the gamer. I was sailing the high seas back then and getting cracked games was double click, and you’re good to go. Real games were please insert disc, disc not found, unable to continue. Bye.

      DRM has always been an absolute bane that throws players under the bus because fuck you money

  • @SomeGuy69@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    211 month ago

    In a few more years you got to pay monthly subscription and pay extra to not get recorded (later they find out it was recorded anyways). Same as with Amazon prime video with their subscription plus ads. Then they get a few millions as fine and move on.

  • wallmenis
    link
    fedilink
    English
    131 month ago

    Great time to have 2 computers if you need windows!

    • Destide
      link
      fedilink
      English
      101 month ago

      Virtualisation/dualboot/wine you don’t need 2 computers

      • Baggins
        link
        fedilink
        English
        21 month ago

        Never had any luck with WIne - don’t bother now. Am lucky(?) enough to only have to use Windows at work. Although my browsing habits may change slightly when we upgrade :-)

  • Destide
    link
    fedilink
    English
    111 month ago

    I know every time this sort of thing happens, a good amount of people come over to Linux or jump on Mac, but I really do wonder where the line is for the vast majority of my friends who just keep plodding away moaning about this stuff. I’ve taken a lead yourself to water approach over recent years CBA anymore

  • AutoTL;DRB
    link
    fedilink
    English
    71 month ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    At a Build conference event on Monday, Microsoft revealed a new AI-powered feature called “Recall” for Copilot+ PCs that will allow Windows 11 users to search and retrieve their past activities on their PC.

    To make it work, Recall records everything users do on their PC, including activities in apps, communications in live meetings, and websites visited for research.

    By performing a Recall action, users can access a snapshot from a specific time period, providing context for the event or moment they are searching for.

    For example, someone with access to your Windows account could potentially use Recall to see everything you’ve been doing recently on your PC, which might extend beyond the embarrassing implications of pornography viewing and actually threaten the lives of journalists or perceived enemies of the state.

    Despite the privacy concerns, Microsoft says that the Recall index remains local and private on-device, encrypted in a way that is linked to a particular user’s account.

    To use Recall, users will need to purchase one of the new “Copilot Plus PCs” powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chips, which include the necessary neural processing unit (NPU).


    The original article contains 596 words, the summary contains 188 words. Saved 68%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!