The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office is looking into Microsoft’s new AI feature ‘Recall’, which automatically captures and stores snapshots of user activity every few seconds, raising privacy worries among experts despite built-in user controls.
Microsoft’s New AI Feature Under Privacy Scrutiny
The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is investigating Microsoft’s new AI feature, Recall, which captures and stores screenshots of user activity every few seconds. This feature, intended to help users by creating a “photographic memory” for easier task recall, is exclusive to Microsoft’s AI-powered Copilot+ PCs.
Announced recently, Recall is designed to work locally on the user’s device, with snapshots stored and processed on-device for enhanced security. It does not capture private web browsing sessions. Users can delete snapshots, adjust time ranges, and prevent specific apps and websites from being saved.
Despite these controls, privacy experts have raised concerns about potential misuse by cyber criminals. Jake Moore, a global cybersecurity adviser at Eset, warns that any additional data stored increases the risk of cyber attacks. The ICO expects Microsoft to demonstrate rigorous safeguards and transparency regarding user data usage.
