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Danish version below / Dansk version nedenfor

I recently came across a video that delves into Microsoft’s new AI feature, “Recall.” As someone who’s always curious about the latest advancements in technology, I found this particularly intriguing. The feature promises to revolutionize how we interact with and retrieve information, but it also raises questions about privacy and potential intrusiveness. Let’s explore this together.

From YouTube Channal https://www.youtube.com/@EricParker

What is Microsoft Recall?

Microsoft Recall is an AI-powered feature designed to help users quickly access and manage information stored across various platforms. It leverages machine learning algorithms to identify and retrieve relevant data based on user queries, making it easier to find documents, emails, and other important files without extensive searching.

Potential Benefits of Recall

  1. Enhanced Productivity: By reducing the time spent searching for information, Recall can significantly boost productivity. Users can focus more on their tasks rather than wasting time locating files.
  2. Seamless Integration: Recall is integrated into Microsoft’s ecosystem, meaning it can pull information from Office 365, Outlook, OneDrive, and other Microsoft services, providing a comprehensive search experience.
  3. Contextual Understanding: The AI can understand the context of user queries, leading to more accurate and relevant search results. This is especially useful for complex searches involving multiple criteria.

Potential Dangers and Privacy Concerns

While the benefits are clear, there are potential dangers associated with such an intrusive feature:

  1. Privacy Issues: The most significant concern is privacy. Recall requires access to a vast amount of personal data to function effectively. This raises questions about how this data is stored, who has access to it, and how it is protected from breaches.
  2. Data Misuse: There is always the risk of data being misused either by the AI itself or by unauthorized parties who might gain access to it. Ensuring robust security measures is crucial.
  3. Dependence on AI: Over-reliance on AI for managing and retrieving information could lead to reduced critical thinking and memory skills in users. It’s essential to strike a balance between using AI tools and maintaining personal cognitive abilities.

Conclusion

Microsoft’s Recall feature has the potential to transform the way we interact with and manage information, offering significant productivity benefits. However, it’s essential to be aware of the potential privacy and security issues it brings. As we embrace new technologies, maintaining a balance between convenience and privacy is key.

Watch the video to learn more and share your thoughts on this fascinating development.

Post by Mike
With the assistance of my trustworthy friend ChatGPT

Danish version below

Udforskning af Microsofts Nye AI-funktion “Recall”

Jeg stødte for nylig på en video, der dykker ned i Microsofts nye AI-funktion, “Recall”. Som en, der altid er nysgerrig på de nyeste teknologiske fremskridt, fandt jeg dette særligt spændende. Funktionen lover at revolutionere, hvordan vi interagerer med og henter information, men det rejser også spørgsmål om privatliv og potentiel indtrængen. Lad os udforske dette sammen.

Hvad er Microsoft Recall?

Microsoft Recall er en AI-drevet funktion designet til at hjælpe brugere med hurtigt at få adgang til og administrere information, der er gemt på tværs af forskellige platforme. Den udnytter maskinlæringsalgoritmer til at identificere og hente relevante data baseret på brugerforespørgsler, hvilket gør det lettere at finde dokumenter, e-mails og andre vigtige filer uden omfattende søgning.

Potentielle Fordele ved Recall

  1. Øget Produktivitet: Ved at reducere den tid, der bruges på at søge efter information, kan Recall betydeligt øge produktiviteten. Brugerne kan fokusere mere på deres opgaver i stedet for at spilde tid på at finde filer.
  2. Problemfri Integration: Recall er integreret i Microsofts økosystem, hvilket betyder, at det kan hente information fra Office 365, Outlook, OneDrive og andre Microsoft-tjenester, hvilket giver en omfattende søgeoplevelse.
  3. Kontekstuel Forståelse: AI’en kan forstå konteksten af brugerforespørgsler, hvilket fører til mere præcise og relevante søgeresultater. Dette er især nyttigt for komplekse søgninger, der involverer flere kriterier.

Potentielle Farer og Privatlivsproblemer

Mens fordelene er klare, er der potentielle farer forbundet med en så indtrængende funktion:

  1. Privatlivsproblemer: Den mest betydelige bekymring er privatliv. Recall kræver adgang til en stor mængde persondata for at fungere effektivt. Dette rejser spørgsmål om, hvordan disse data opbevares, hvem der har adgang til dem, og hvordan de beskyttes mod brud.
  2. Data Misbrug: Der er altid risikoen for, at data kan misbruges enten af AI’en selv eller af uautoriserede parter, der måtte få adgang til dem. Det er afgørende at sikre robuste sikkerhedsforanstaltninger.
  3. Afhængighed af AI: Overafhængighed af AI til at administrere og hente information kan føre til reduceret kritisk tænkning og hukommelsesevner hos brugerne. Det er vigtigt at finde en balance mellem brug af AI-værktøjer og opretholdelse af personlige kognitive evner.

Konklusion

Microsofts Recall-funktion har potentialet til at transformere måden, vi interagerer med og administrerer information, og tilbyder betydelige produktivitetsfordele. Men det er vigtigt at være opmærksom på de potentielle privatlivs- og sikkerhedsproblemer, som den bringer med sig. Efterhånden som vi omfavner nye teknologier, er det afgørende at opretholde en balance mellem bekvemmelighed og privatliv.

Se videoen for at lære mere og del dine tanker om denne fascinerende udvikling.

Indlæg af Mike
Med assistance fra min pålidelige ven ChatGPT

#BlockAutoUpgradeToWindows11

So, at long last someone did something smart with Winwows 10 update.. Not exactly breaking news as it happened a year or so ago, but hey -now I needed it…

Anyhow, it is now possible to freeze a Windows 10 build – you COULD (to some degree) do this before also, but it was anything but trivial.

Anyhow, what you need to do is to upgrade your ADMX (Group policy templates) to 21H1, you do this by downloading them from here;

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=103124

after unpacking (installing) them, copy them to your DC (most likely here);
c:\Windows\SYSVOL\domain\Policies\PolicyDefinitions

And now we are ready to rock’n roll.

Open: “Group Policy Management Editor”.

Navigate to: Computer Configuration – Policies – Administrative Templates – Windows Components – Windows Update – Windows Update for Business

Here you select: “Select the target Feature Update version”

Now you can set the “Target Version”:

I would expect this to freeze Windows 10 at the 21H1 version and hopefully block automatic upgrades to Windows 11 – but after the Windows 10 bonanza, who knows.

The above settings will trigger these registry settings on the target machine:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate

I am not quite sure how these new settings work with existing Windows Update (and or wsus) settings, as you may see we have some WSUS settings below.

One question you may ask yourself, with Windows 11 comming why bother? Well, there is a reason I am looking at this now, and that is precisely Windows 11 – as you may have heard Windows 11 is about to hit-the-fan around October 2021, and we DONT want company machines going berserk upgrading left and right.. So looking for ways to combat automatic upgrades (you may remember the horrific Windows 10 upgrade circus – where Microsoft did anything but to put a gun to your face to trick you into clicking upgrade-now). The above policy ought to help block this (if Microsoft is true to the spirit of the policies).

So what does these new settings mean?

TargetReleaseVersion DWORD

Well the “TargetReleaseVersion” is more or less a toggle switch that tell Windows you wish to control the Windows Version/build. Whereas the “TargetReleaseVersionInfo” tell Windows WHICH version you are aiming at.

TargetReleaseVersionInfo STRING

If you enter a “TargetReleaseVersionInfo” that is higher than the currently installed build, windows will attempt to upgrade to this build. If you set a version number that is NOT the latest, Windows will attempt to upgrade to this and will stay there at least until “end of service” – it is unclear if Windows will autoupgrade to a later build after “end of service” is reached, but I would not suspect so.

Where can I read about Windows builds available and their status (end of service dates)?

aka.ms/ReleaseInformationPage

or this link: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/release-information

Anyhow, dont take my word for it alone, here are links to a few other sites on the subject..
https://www.ghacks.net/2020/06/27/you-can-now-set-the-target-windows-10-release-in-professional-versions

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/159624-how-specify-target-feature-update-version-windows-10-a.html