Microsoft's Recall is back in Windows Insider builds, but the same old questions loom: Is this tool a digital memory aid or a surveillance nightmare?

Recall periodically screenshots everything you do—websites, forms, apps—organizing it into a searchable timeline powered by AI. Microsoft claims it’s a productivity boost. But how productive is handing over an unfiltered record of your digital life?

Here’s where it gets dicey: Recall now promises encryption and filters to block sensitive info (like credit cards, passwords). Sounds good? In tests though, the safeguards failed repeatedly. Sensitive data slipped through, captured and stored despite the promised protections.

Recall did block screenshots on some payment pages, but entering info in Notepad? Typing on custom-built web forms? The filters missed. Microsoft says they'll improve the tool over time, but that’s cold comfort when Recall is already on track to become a core Windows feature.