Microsoft's (MSFT) new Recall feature in Windows 11 is under scrutiny after the company announced that the AI-powered feature could take screenshots of the user's screen every few seconds.
The tech giant said that the feature, currently only available on Copilot+ PCs powered by a Snapdragon X Series processor, would help the users to recall information that they have looked into in the past including files, photos and browsing history.
The latest feature works by taking screenshots of the screen, which will be later analyzed by the on-device Neural Processing Unit and an AI model to collect data from the image. The data will be saved in an encrypted form using BitLocker linked to the user's Windows account.
"Recall data is only stored locally and not accessed by Microsoft or anyone who does not have device access," the company stated.
Further, Microsoft's Corporate Vice President & Consumer Chief Marketing Officer, Yusuf Mehdi, assured that, "We won't use any of that information to train any AI model, and we put you completely in control with the ability to edit and delete anything that is captured."
The company added, "You can limit which snapshots Recall collects; for example, you can select specific apps or websites visited in a supported browser to filter out of your snapshots. In addition, you can pause snapshots on demand from the Recall icon in the system tray, clear some or all snapshots that have been stored, or delete all the snapshots from your device."
However, the feature has triggered UK's Information Commissioner's Office to make "enquiries with Microsoft to understand the safeguards in place to protect user privacy".
"We expect organizations to be transparent with users about how their data is being used and only process personal data to the extent that it is necessary to achieve a specific purpose. Industry must consider data protection from the outset and rigorously assess and mitigate risks to peoples' rights and freedoms before bringing products to market", the data watchdog stated.
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