A PR disaster: Microsoft has lost trust with its users, and Windows Recall is the straw that broke the camel's back - eviltoast

It’s a nightmare scenario for Microsoft. The headlining feature of its new Copilot+ PC initiative, which is supposed to drive millions of PC sales over the next couple of years, is under significant fire for being what many say is a major breach of privacy and security on Windows. That feature in question is Windows Recall, a new AI tool designed to remember everything you do on Windows. The feature that we never asked and never wanted it.

Microsoft, has done a lot to degrade the Windows user experience over the last few years. Everything from obtrusive advertisements to full-screen popups, ignoring app defaults, forcing a Microsoft Account, and more have eroded the trust relationship between Windows users and Microsoft.

It’s no surprise that users are already assuming that Microsoft will eventually end up collecting that data and using it to shape advertisements for you. That really would be a huge invasion of privacy, and people fully expect Microsoft to do it, and it’s those bad Windows practices that have led people to this conclusion.

  • nutsack@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    49
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    7 months ago

    it isn’t a nightmare for them. they will be fine. they normalize everything they do

    • Kroxx@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      26
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      7 months ago

      Yeah like I hate Microsoft, I am migrating to Linux, and the things I read about recall were pretty fucking horrifying to me. At the end of the day though the general public doesn’t give two shits about tech other than it works out of the box.

    • Tja@programming.dev
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      7 months ago

      I use Arch since 2009 (BTW), but I think I’m planted in reality enough to know that the average user not only doesn’t care, hasn’t even heard about it. This will not even move the needle regarding usage.

      • Neshura@bookwormstory.social
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        7 months ago

        Absolutely, the only thing that will ever move the needle significantly is if the average user walks into a store and comes out with a system that has linux already installed.