Microsoft Answers: Is It Possible to Remove the Recall AI Feature from Windows 11?
Microsoft isn't getting rid of its controversial Recall AI feature anytime soon, and turns out, Windows 11 users won't get that option either. Reports suggest that Recall AI cannot be uninstalled and the recent sightings of that option were just a bug as the company claimed. A tipster spotted the change because they were able to uninstall the recall feature which is yet to be released publicly but the Insider version of Windows 11 is offering it for further testing.
The post says they found the recall feature in the Turn Windows Features On or Off section in Settings, which was later identified as a bug by Microsoft in this report. Interestingly, the company did not say whether the recall feature can be removed after the public version is rolled out but was quoted as saying that the uninstall bug will be fixed in the next update.
Windows Recall AI - Not the brightest start
The recall was introduced by Microsoft at the Build conference earlier this year. Initially this feature looked promising as it could track your activities and keep the data on the device. However, security researchers discovered that the data examined by Recall was not encrypted which could have made it easier for hackers to access private data without much effort.
Details about the security issue with the recall were shared by Kevin Beaumount, a security researcher. He pointed out that data accessed by Recall and stored on a Windows 11 PC can be read when a person is signed in to their Microsoft account. Microsoft thinks it can optimize search on PCs with AI recall but the explanation seems bigger than the convenience on offer.
The decision to recall the AI feature made it clear that Microsoft is concerned about the vulnerabilities. Microsoft is making sure that Recall is not turned on by default, and data is protected behind encryption. We'll have more details on the new look recall when it can be offered to Windows 11 users in October via multiple reports.