Windows Recall Not Uninstallable

Microsoft says its controversial Windows Recall feature will not be removable in Windows 11. The optional feature creates near-continuous screenshots of the computer display for an AI-powered help tool.

The feature launches next month for people in the Windows Insider program before rolling out to all users. A recent update to test versions of Windows 11 showed Recall as a feature that could not only be turned on or off, but could be completely uninstalled.

On/Off Confusion

Microsoft has now issued a statement saying that's not the case, telling The Verge that "We are aware of an issue where Recall is incorrectly listed as an option under the 'Turn Windows features on or off' dialog in Control Panel. This will be fixed in an upcoming update." (Source: theverge.com)

The way the options are listed in Control Panel is a little confusing as switching "on or off" here refers to removing a Windows feature completely. The upshot is that Windows Recall will always be on a Windows 11 machine, but will be deactivated by default and users must actively switch it on.

Recall is a feature that may sound sensible in principle but has raised serious concerns in practice. It's designed to make it easier to recover information from previous activity, regardless of the application. For example, a user could ask for a website address that appeared on screen during a video call, or what web page they were visiting that included a green dress.

It turned out that Windows Recall works by simply taking a screenshot every few seconds and then using AI to analyze its content and create a searchable database.

Security Significance

That freaked out security researchers who discovered the database wasn't encrypted, meaning that if hackers were able to access it, they'd stand a good chance of finding personal or sensitive information. (Source: mashable.com)

Microsoft made several key changes: Windows Recall will be switched off by default, while the database will be encrypted and only accessible through the Windows Hello authentication which uses biometric authentication or a PIN.

What's Your Opinion?

Does Recall sound useful? Is the encryption and opt-in setting enough to protect users? Would you want the ability to completely uninstall it?