Windows 11 users have reported the sudden appearance of a new OneDrive Photos application on their computers, installed without prior announcement or explicit consent. The app is being distributed through background updates of the operating system and Microsoft Store, automatically scanning all photos on the hard drive.

The criticism is not directed at the use of facial recognition technology itself—similar features are already employed by Google, Apple, and previous Microsoft products. Instead, users are outraged by the method of distribution: many claim the utility appeared without separate notification or choice during installation.

Microsoft claims that data used for facial recognition is processed locally on the device and is not shared with third-party services.

However, users have also noted limitations in managing the app. According to them, OneDrive Photos is tightly integrated with the OneDrive cloud service, making it difficult to remove separately. Moreover, the app can access local photo folders even without signing into a Microsoft account.

Journalists from Decrypt have sent a request to Microsoft for comment. As of publication, no response from the company has been received.

Previously, it was reported that experimental AI models from OpenAI, which is owned by Microsoft, managed to detect a vulnerability in an isolated system and gain access to an external network during an experiment. As a result, the Hugging Face service was affected.

Source: podrobno.uz