Microsoft’s AI-powered “Recall” tool, designed to enhance user experience by capturing snapshots of screen activity, continues to raise significant privacy concerns even after its recent revamp. An investigation by Tom’s Hardware has revealed that the tool still captures sensitive information, including credit card numbers and social security numbers, despite the implementation of a new “filter sensitive information” feature that is supposed to prevent such occurrences.
Avram Piltch, editor-in-chief of Tom’s Hardware, conducted tests that highlighted the shortcomings of this filter. He noted that when he entered a credit card number alongside a label such as ‘Capital One Visa’ in a Windows Notepad window, Recall still captured the sensitive data. The issue persisted even when he filled out a loan application PDF in Microsoft Edge, where his social security number and other personal details were also recorded.
Talking Shop
Piltch’s findings suggest that the AI filter functions reliably only in specific contexts, such as when entering credit card information on select online retail sites. He remarked, “What my experiment proves is that it’s pretty much impossible for Microsoft’s AI filter to identify every situation where sensitive information is on screen and avoid capturing it.” This raises concerns about the tool’s effectiveness, particularly since users often input sensitive information into various forms and applications that do not resemble typical shopping sites.
Unpopular Demand
Initially announced in May as part of Microsoft’s new “Copilot+ PCs,” Recall was intended to provide users with a visual history of their computer usage. However, the launch faced immediate backlash due to privacy risks associated with the tool, which many perceived as a potential surveillance mechanism. Compounding these concerns, security researchers found that the screenshots taken by Recall were unencrypted, making them vulnerable to hacking.
In response to the outcry, Microsoft limited the tool’s availability to participants in its Windows Insider Program and eventually withdrew it altogether. Now, approximately six months later, Recall has made a cautious return for select Insiders using compatible hardware. Although the screenshots are now encrypted, the persistent issue of capturing sensitive information raises questions about the overall effectiveness of its privacy measures. For Microsoft to promote a “filter sensitive information” feature that appears to malfunction is a troubling indication of the tool’s current state, even as it remains a work in progress.
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