Microsoft Corp. has said that a crucial new feature in a planned line of artificial intelligence-branded PCs will be shipped in the “off” position after cybersecurity experts warned that the tool might make an attractive target for hackers.
Recall, that a Windows feature launched last month, keeps track of everything users do on their PCs, making it quicker to search through emails, browser history, and files. The feature accomplishes this by periodically taking screenshots that may be viewed and analyzed by Microsoft algorithms.
Recall raised concerns among security researchers, wary of Microsoft’s security practices after past hacks. Some demonstrated how bad actors could access and gather records stored locally on users’ PCs. The new vulnerability placed doubt on Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella’s commitment to prioritize cybersecurity before product development.
On Friday, the world’s largest software company revealed a series of enhancements to Recall that will be implemented before the preview version of the software is released to users later this month.
The utility will be disabled rather than enabled by default, and users will be given the choice to activate it during setup. “If you don’t proactively choose to turn it on, it will be turned off by default,” Microsoft’s Windows head, Pavan Davuluri, wrote in a blog post.
Davuluri also stated that Recall users will be needed to use Windows Hello, which uses facial or fingerprint identification or a login pin to access a device. The company is also aiming to ensure that Recall’s snapshots are secured even when the user is not logged in.
Recall is one of several AI technologies being built into Windows for a series of PCs known as Copilot+PC, as part of Microsoft’s ongoing push to compete with rivals such as Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google.
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