Microsoft's 'Recall' Feature Draws Criticism From Privacy Advocates

Microsoft's Copilot+ "Recall" feature — which periodically captures, indexes, and stores local screenshots to provide a searchable "photographic memory" of user activity — has generated substantial privacy and security concerns. Although Microsoft says data stays encrypted on-device and users/enterprise admins can pause, exclude apps, or disable Recall, researchers and regulators warn that the default storage of up to three months of indexed screenshots (including passwords and financial data) could create a high-value target for attackers and violates best practices without automatic redaction or stricter opt-in controls.