After Microsoft Corp. announced its Copilot+ Monday, potential consumers heard that personal computers running it could have a “photographic memory” of everything a person does on their machine, which has not surprisingly raised concern among some privacy experts.

Copilot+ PCs will be shipped with a slew of artificial intelligence features, including “Recall,” or should it be called “Total Recall?” The AI will keep track of everything people do on their PC by taking a screenshot every few seconds. What files they’ve opened, what apps they’ve used, what webpages they’ve visited, and what passwords or account details they’ve entered will all be logged and stored.

This might sound enticing on paper, given many PC users are prone to forget what they’ve done throughout the day on their device. But privacy advocates in the U.K. and the U.S. have pointed out that having a database of such information could be exploited by hackers.

THIS is the company that wants to record literally everything you ever do on your computer.

(Report is re an attack last year.)

If you don’t think Microsoft Recall, local or no, will be one of the biggest cybertargets in history, you aren’t paying attention. pic.twitter.com/7xWEp3Amjd

— Gary Marcus (@GaryMarcus) May 21, 2024

In response, Microsoft has reminded users that the Recall feature can be turned off, or the user can limit what information it stores. The company has said the information cannot be accessed by anyone but the user, since everything is stored locally. Even so, if hackers can take control of that computer, they may now find a treasure trove of exploitable data.

The U.K.’s Information Commissioner’s Office said it’s now investigating what safeguards Microsoft has put in place to protect the user’s privacy. The watchdog told the BBC that it hopes Microsoft and all tech firms “rigorously assess and mitigate risks to peoples’ rights and freedoms” before letting a product loose on the market.

Another concern is the feature might have a “chilling effect” on users, who, if they use it, may decide it’s better not to search various documents or websites given their PC will now be taking screenshots every few seconds.

“have you ever wanted to install a keylogger to spy on your spouse or kid? well have we got news for you”

— Molly White (@molly0xFFF) May 21, 2024

And what if employers tell employees they must have the feature turned on? It might then become a rather dystopian lens into that employee’s life, making sensitive data available while pressuring the worker to keep busy. Workers might not be told about the feature on their PC, or they might be fully aware of what it can do.

Photo: Tadas Sar/Unsplash