Microsoft's Recall Feature Sparks Privacy Concerns Over Sensitive Data Collection
Microsoft's latest Windows feature "Recall" is raising serious privacy alarms as testing reveals it captures and stores screenshots containing sensitive data including credit card numbers and Social Security details.
Recent testing by Tom's Hardware has exposed major flaws in Recall's privacy safeguards, prompting experts to advise Windows 11 users to disable the feature immediately. Despite Microsoft's claims of built-in filters to protect sensitive data, Recall continues to capture and store screenshots containing private information.
The controversial feature, which takes periodic screenshots to enhance Microsoft Copilot's AI capabilities, was found to indiscriminately save screens displaying credit card details, credentials, and Social Security numbers during common tasks like using Notepad or filling out forms in Microsoft Edge.
While Recall's filters appear to function properly on some online shopping sites by avoiding credit card form captures, they fail to protect sensitive data in many other scenarios. The feature's broad collection of data has raised questions about Microsoft's handling of user privacy on the Windows platform.
When questioned about these privacy issues, Microsoft defended Recall as a privacy-compliant feature, stating that developers are working on improvements. The company encouraged users to share feedback about their experiences through the Feedback Hub.
However, privacy advocates argue that such extensive data collection should not be enabled by default, requiring users to actively opt-out to protect their sensitive information. The current implementation poses unnecessary risks to user privacy and data security.
Users concerned about their privacy can disable Recall through Windows settings, preventing the automatic capture and storage of potentially sensitive information.