Microsoft Recall - Tumblr Posts
About MS Recall
The problem
So, apparently Microsoft decided to put an AI on their operating system that uses regular screenshots to store, index, and describe every single thing the user does on their computer. If you enter a password -- it's stored and indexed; if you send a message: it's stored and indexed. It stores all that in a neat little unencrypted database that doesn't require elevated privileges to access, meaning any hostile program only needs a few seconds at most to perform weeks worth of data collection, and it's already processed for easy use by the cracker. Even if the data stays on device, the applications for facilitating domestic abuse are absolutely terrifying.
I don't use DOS, so it doesn't affect me, right?
Wrong. Chances are, your bank, your hospital, your employer, your school, your tax office use it. This "feature" can be deactivated, and I seriously hope it will be on every single system handling sensitive data (or better stop using that operating system altogether), but it only takes one employee viewing it on their personal computer for a major data leak to occur.
The wider problem
The data is supposedly and presumably stored on-device which should mean Microsoft doesn't collect it, but the operating system as a whole is also proprietary and closed-source, meaning:
it's very hard to tell what the system does or doesn't do, the only recourse we have are to look at outgoing data packets (not foolproof) or study the disassembly (difficult and illegal)
it is both extremely hard and illegal to make and maintain forks (modified versions), which means if they do something their users absolutely can't agree with, they're left with three choices:
use an outdated version -- not the best for security, and Microsoft makes updates mandatory
switch operating systems -- can be time-consuming and costly to do, especially if the user relies on system-specific functionality (I'd recommend getting started on this asap)
just accept it -- what most will probably end up doing