Earlier this year, we were introduced to Microsoft's creepy AI-powered move to snoop on everything users did on their computers under their new lineup of Copilot+ PCs.
Since then, there has been a considerable outcry over the need for such an invasive feature, with a cybersecurity researcher finding out that sensitive data from the Recall feature was being stored in plain text.
Months have passed since, and the matter seems to have mellowed out a bit. But, a recent revelation has reignited the conversation.
Recall Is Here To Stay: Forget Disabling It
You see, a few days ago, Deskmodder.de (in German) found out that Recall could be disabled from the Control Panel by following a few simple steps, without the need to fiddle around with Regedit or anything.
This was seen when installing for the optional KB5041865 patch with the 24H2 build of Windows 11. At first, it was good to hear that disabling Recall was possible; sadly, the moment was short-lived.
In a statement to The Verge, Senior Program Manager for the Windows Insider program, Brandon LeBlanc, stated that:
We are aware of an issue where Recall is incorrectly listed as an option under the ‘Turn Windows features on or off’ dialog in Control Panel, this will be fixed in an upcoming update.
If you were wondering, yes, that keeps us on the fence whether Microsoft will allow uninstalling Recall completely. Some feel that they might do that for EU copies of Windows 11 to comply with the DMA, but, what about users outside of Europe?
Meanwhile, Windows Recall is set for a beta release in October, with Windows Insiders receiving it first, before a more mainstream rollout for Copilot+ PC users later.
One positive aspect of the outcry is that Microsoft does mention that now, instead of Recall being enabled by default, it will be opt-in.
But, the thing is, when the mainstream rollout begins, will the files for Recall be present on non-Copilot PCs? If that's the case, isn't there a risk of tailored malware targeting it to compromise a user's activity?
I am not a cybersecurity expert, but I am sure those who specialize in the field will be looking more closely into the matter once Recall is out.
Linux Is The Way
On the other hand, if you are unhappy with how Microsoft is handling Recall, then you can always switch to a Linux distribution, even if you have a Copilot+ PC.
We already know that Qualcomm is working on bringing support for the Snapdragon X Elite series of processors to Linux, and it should be ready sometime in the future.
With Linux, you get to take advantage of its open-source nature, where no one forces unwanted features on you; it's all about choice and freedom.
If that interests you, then here are some of my recommendations for all kinds of users:
Do note that this list is not ranked in any specific order. And, if you are curious, you can explore our list of the best Linux distributions out there:
Ankush Das
💬 What are your thoughts on Microsoft still pushing for a feature that no one asked for?
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