Another reason to advocate for Linux: Microsoft Recall

Basically it collects everything the user sees and it’s super easy to steal that collected data. I have no idea what do they smoke at Microsoft, but it’s something whack.

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If I’m understanding what I’ve read (haven’t watched the video yet, just read articles), this is an exclusive feature to SnapDragon CPU’s.

That doesn’t make it any less horrifying, though :grimacing: I can’t understand why anyone would want this kind of monitoring on their system.

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At the moment because those processors are the only ones that have the AI processing requirements but upcoming CPUs from AMD and Intel will also meet the requirements.

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I think this ties into the “Microsoft is spying on you” argument. Either way, yeah, it isn’t good at all and it seems more and more people are interested in coming over to Linux after hearing about Recall.

For the moment, yes, but Microsoft will, 100%, make this mandatory at some point, plus both AMD and Intel want a slice of the AI pie. Nvidia is having an all you can eat buffet when it comes to AI hardware and they want something from that too.

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honk-clown

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This has definite benefits, not gonna lie, but given the inherrent security risks it is not worth it. That said, I am still horrified at how bad the implementation is in this case. Given that it is “AI”, is it really too much to expect it not to record sensitive information like passwords, bank login details etc?

As for using the admin password to encrypt the snapshots, what a joke. There should be a separate encrypted partition for this data which can only be accessed by a dedicated copilot application when authorised by the user using facial recognition or a 2FA app installed on a separate device. Yes I know facial recognition has its own privacy risks, but the people who will use Recall likely have that enabled. And such people cannot be trusted to remember multiple passwords.

Finally, the copilot application should run its AI search through the encrypted snapshots and only decrypt the relevant snapshots. This should provide an additional layer of protection to prevent someone from copying an entire directory of decrypted data.

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Good suggestions, but for an OS which can’t even get its search function right, one absolutely can’t expect it to have proper encryption :face_with_hand_over_mouth:

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Windows is developed by executives not programmers. The problem is not the OS but the people who are trying to gain an edge using the next best thing. I’m pretty sure this was not thought through correctly.

I use Windows for my work. Just another implementation that I would remove or just block using some kind of a hack. If it makes to desktop Windows.

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From the video I gather it’s possible to test it on regular machine too without an NPU.

Not cool at all, but I understand that they are just trying to make the “latest and greatest” thing.

I only work on a MacBook when I’m in the office and have my Surface for more specific things, related to Azure mostly, and for testing software to be deployed to clients.

At home, I use AtlasOS as a backup gaming system (dual boot). They do a good job at stripping out just about everything. I rarely use it, but every now and then it comes in handy.

Watching the video would have helped, you assumed wrong.


:eyes:

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Alright, I admit that my reaction was not quite appropriate for the video’s emphasis and tone. However, I still think that my analogy to file indexing holds true: it is a clear target for malicious attack which also is substantially useful to a user. In fact, the very thing that makes it great for users is also what makes it a great target for attack: the density of information. A user can even opt to include file content in the index, making it MORE valuable for the user and MORE mouth-watering for an attacker.

But do we pity windows users for being exposed allowing such a vulnerability? No. We just do it better on linux. And I expect that, in the long term, that’s what will happen in this case too.

(Yes, I know that indexing/search on windows is practically worthless.)

ya know, I miss that :clown_face: , especially on threads like this. Honk honk.

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