Controversial 'Recall' feature back into Windows

[numike]

Content source

https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/04/microsoft-is-putting-privacy-endangering-recall-back-into-windows-11/

Security and privacy advocates are girding themselves for another uphill battle against Recall, the AI tool rolling out in Windows 11 that will screenshot, index, and store everything a user does every three seconds.

That groan you hear is users’ reaction to Recall going back into Windows

Snapshotting and AI processing a screen every 3 seconds. What could possibly go wrong?

arstechnica.com

 

[Victor M]

Time to migrate to Linux my fellow MT friends. Not kidding. It is worse than George Orwell's TV camera.

 

[Digmor Crusher]

Time to migrate to Linux my fellow MT friends. Not kidding. It is worse than George Orwell's TV camera.

Tried that once, lasted about an hour, hated it.

 

[n8chavez]

I can't game as well on Linux, or run the engineering software I need. That's a no-go for me.

 

[Marko :)]

Tried that once, lasted about an hour, hated it.

I totally agree with you on this. I tried it as well and I found it hard to navigate through the OS. It just isn't as intuitive to use as Windows is. Beside, I'd rather not learn new OS if I don't really have to.

The only solution for us is, well, LTSC version. There's just one issue—you can't get it legally, it's impossible for home users to buy one. You can activate it without any issue using MAS though. But, considering your stance on piracy and using loopholes to get what you want, using LTSC is also no-go for you. And that only means you're essentially stuck with normal Windows edition. Or Mac, if you're willing to spend that kind of money for a PC.

I wonder if license for Windows 10 LTSC works for Windows 11 LTSC. I think I still have one somewhere in my cloud storage that my friend who works for an IT company gifted me.

 

[Morro]

Also, I seem to remember that your computer needs to have a certain Chip for Recall to work? So if that is true, every one who does not have a computer with that chip should be safe from Recall being installed, or is my memory wrong on this?

 

[Marko :)]

Also, I seem to remember that your computer needs to have a certain Chip for Recall to work?

For now.

So if that is true, every one who does not have a computer with that chip should be safe from Recall being installed, or is my memory wrong on this?

It will still be installed, you just won't be able to use it for now. But Microsoft has plans to make Recall available on all devices for sure.

 

[Morro]

For now.

It will still be installed, you just won't be able to use it for now. But Microsoft has plans to make Recall available on all devices for sure.

Oh terrific, so we are on borrowed time.

 

[oldschool]

For now.

Oh terrific, so we are on borrowed time.

I believe Recall needs the new AI chip for full privacy invasion, but that doesn't mean it won't work at all on other devices, so take care of your current and older hardware.

 

[lokamoka820]

Tried that once, lasted about an hour, hated it.

My first try was just like you, the second one was for a week, the third was 2 months and so on, then I used to it. Now my only problem with Linux is "what distro to use", why? Because every distro is beautiful in a different way, just like women.

Although Ubuntu is the most famous, it is not the best to try as an alternative to windows, Linux mint it is what Windows 7 used to be so it will be more familiar.

 

[anirbandutta01]

Linux Mint or Ubuntu.

Time to migrate to Linux my fellow MT friends.

 

[bazang]

Turn it off; don't use it. There's a lot of other things in Windows just as bad as Recall, but it all flies under the radar.

 

[Victor M]

Tried that once, lasted about an hour, hated it.

I wasn't born loving Linux. My first use of it was back in 2005/6 - OpenBSD, a Canadian outfit. I was fed up with Windows XP's lack of security, and OpenBSD was promising "secure out of the box". They pioneered providing strong public encryption at a time when the US was banning cryptography exports. The environment was totally different. The installer itself was command line ( still is ) and one has to choose to install X Windows as an option. Read the help files, learned a lot about security because OpenBSD is security focused and had good documentation. It's another world - Everything is Transparent and documented unlike with Windows.

At about the same time there was a big push at MS to be more secure and they brought out Windows Vista in 2007. So I went back to Windows to take a look, and stayed.

But this Recall thing is a serious deal breaker. MS has plans for this captured data. They know in advance that there will be negative public reaction, they aren't short sighted. And the fact that they are pushing it out despite all the outcry means something.

 

[Marko :)]

I believe Recall needs the new AI chip for full privacy invasion, but that doesn't mean it won't work at all on other devices, so take care of your current and older hardware.

Actually, the reason is ARM. ARM processors are much more power efficient than typical Intel/AMD processors we use today. They are also capable of doing very intensive tasks without hassle. This is the only reason why Recall is currently available only on those Copilot+ PCs; because all of it needs to be done locally. But I have no doubts that Microsoft will make Recall available on traditional PCs as well by moving some of computing to the cloud.

 

[TairikuOkami]

I believe Recall needs the new AI chip for full privacy invasion, but that doesn't mean it won't work at all on other devices, so take care of your current and older hardware.

Yes, I have disabled NPU. One good thing about MS is, that it has dedicated domains for each service, so blocking copilot or recall is easy with DNS.

 

[oldschool]

Yes, I have disabled NPU. One good thing about MS is, that it has dedicated domains for each service, so blocking copilot or recall is easy with DNS.

View attachment 288095

So you use NextDNS at the system level?

 

[Marko :)]

Yes, I have disabled NPU. One good thing about MS is, that it has dedicated domains for each service, so blocking copilot or recall is easy with DNS.

View attachment 288095

May I ask why are you using Edge when you clearly don't like Microsoft's products?

 

[rahuldey12]

Excel

 

[Victor M]

I can't game as well on Linux, or run the engineering software I need

Then use Linux as host and main desktop while you run your Windows programs with Windows as a vm within Linux. At least then the Recall AI will capture less things. A good hypervisor on Linux is Virt Manager.

 

[n8chavez]

Then use Linux as host and main desktop while you run your Windows programs with Windows as a vm within Linux. At least then the Recall AI will capture less things.

That seems like a lot of hoops to just through. Setting up VMware as a gaming machine isn't easy and I suspect it would be nearly impossible to run my required engineering software. It's better that I just disable it.