"Our team is driven by a relentless desire to empower people through the transformative potential of AI and we see great utility in Recall and the problem it can solve," Microsoft Corporate Vice President for Windows and Devices Pavan Davuluri wrote on Friday. "For people to get the full value out of experiences like Recall, they have to trust it."

The Microsoft Copilot logo outside the event where the company launched its new Copilot+ PCs in Redmond last month. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop)

Stung by criticism from security researchers, Microsoft today announced major changes to a key feature of its new Copilot+ PCs. The changes include enhanced encryption and new ways to protect user data from unauthorized access.

Microsoft has attempted to soothe privacy concerns regarding Recall, an upcoming Windows feature that’s said to help users resurface just about anything they’ve previously done or looked at on a Copilot+ PC.

The company also promises to encrypt user data recorded by Recall and tie access to Windows Hello, its secure login option that requires biometric or PIN authentication.

Copilot+ Recall takes screenshots of your PC and saves all your activity. Users will now have to turn the feature on if they want to use it.