I think Microsoft’s planned recall feature where they screenshot everything you do so that it can be analysed by AI isn’t as bad as everyone makes it sound. It’s only bad because Windows is closed source and nobody can verify if what they say is true.

But if Microsoft aren’t lying and none of the data ever leaves your PC (which is supported by the fact that you need a pretty beefy machine to use it) then it is one of the more privacy friendly shit they’ve done recently. And I think they were fully aware that they could only sell “thing that records everything you do” if they could convince people that it doesn’t share that data. Guess they failed.

If it were open source I might even think about using it myself. If the hardware and subsequently power requirements weren’t so absurdly high.

  • 30p87@feddit.deEnglish
    2·
    1 month ago
    • It’s completely useless, as you could just save everything you need, and almost all things can just be searched quicker using traditional ways. I have yet to hear one single use case for it.
    • It will leak all your data. Even if it does not upload the pictures to M$’ cloud, it still saves passwords, messages and files you wanted to delete in clear text.
    • The devices which will officially support the AI, called CoPilot+PC’s, will also have Microsoft’s “Pluton security chips”. Which is just another way to say “Hardware RAT”. Yes, it’s literally just a way for M$, police, government, etc. etc. as well as talented hackers to gain system level access to Microsoft’s (““your””) PC. They don’t need to hack every device individually, which you could protect against with brain.exe and up to date software, they just need to gain access to M$’ servers (which has happened countless times before) to use Microsoft’s built-in hardware trojan to just fuck everyone over in a few seconds. And what is Pluton supposed to do? Prevent you from using anything that is not allowed by your government or M$, be it illegal streaming services, Tor, other VPNs, Linux or just everything except state media. (North Korea loves this.) So in order to use this, you will not only store clear text logs of everything, from passwords over secret files to nudes and maybe even CP someone sent you to troll you, because the second you open it “Recall” will screenshot it, so even deleting the original file won’t help, analyze it and call the cops. Want to fuck over your neighbour you don’t like? Use some AI tool to create convincing looking stuff, and he’s gone. And even if nothing is leaked initially, using the AI literally requires giving every entity with enough “authority” or knowledge full access to your device and therefore secrets, files etc.

    So not only is it nearly useless, it in itself, its implementation and requirements are basically the equivalent of a M$ controlled North Korean like dystopia. Except uninformed users won’t even know, until they need to pay 5k in bitcoin to get their data, cops show up at their door or their bank accounts are suddenly empty because a hacker gained access to M$ servers (again).