4 ms·

Microsoft is testing a new Edge feature that captures screenshots of everything

41 points by RadixDLT 3y ago

lemondice 3y ago
I doubt they're doing this for users. Like everything else, they're doing it for Microsoft.
damnesian 3y ago
you may not enable it. windows update might keep turning it on though.
rolph 3y ago
[ The offline reading "experience" doesn't seem to be part of the new screenshot-saving feature, though. When there's no internet connection available, trying to open a site with a saved screenshot simply returns a "no connection" error page. Microsoft doesn't even explain how and where screenshots are saved, if they're encrypted, or if they are being "synchronized" on the cloud for easier portability. ] [ And then there's the privacy issue: a feature designed to take a snapshot of every single visited web page wouldn't be the most desired addition for people interested in keeping their browsing habits private. A saved screenshot could include usernames, passwords, or other kinds of potentially sensitive information. Microsoft doesn't provide any clue about how Edge will behave in these situations. ]
JonChesterfield 3y ago
Sounds about right. Maybe this will be the magic trick that makes some IT security professionals reconsider giving Microsoft all their proprietary corporate data. Doubt it though, outlook somehow isn't seen as an exfiltration vector.
StanislavPetrov 3y ago
Doesn't Microsoft understand that people don't need any more reasons not to use Edge?
- pjmlp 3y ago
  But those KPIs, the team has to reach them for the next evaluation round.
j-bos 3y ago
Does anyone else feel tired of their tools being spying om them? Maybe I grew up comfortably, but I remember when the idea of huge corporations and everyone im between knowing every detail of pir life was either incredible (not realistic) or an abominable concept. Today feels like there's a magnifying glass shoved into every crack of life. And it's "normal". Maybe I shouldn't have read 1984 in school.
- hulitu 3y ago
  There is a whole industry based upon spying people. Even 3 letter agencies participate in it. Ann they pay the politicians to preserve the current state of affairs. That's why you won't see any improvement in this area anytime soon.
  - BizarroLand 3y ago
    Just because everyone is doing it doesn't mean it's not service to the devil. It's evil and against just about everything I believe in.
lukeplato 3y ago
I imagine this is for training a multimodal transformer to retrieve previously viewed content and personalize generative conversational bots
- kderbyma 3y ago
  I believe it is for heinous purposes and intentions far beyond beneficial uses......it's meant to be cutthroat (which means death is involved)
lazyjeff 3y ago
I've already made such a tool, and it works for any browser on Windows, and all the data is local -- yours. https://irchiver.com/ https://irchiver.com/
NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
ISTR someone who worked at a US defense contractor, who commented on HN to say that you could always tell when Corporate IT was spying on your desktop, because it froze a little bit at a time, they were taking a series of screenshots. So I have to wonder, Edge folks, Edgertons, Edgy McEdgefaces, does this hinder Edge's performance by a bit? Surely the disk I/O will get you if the graphics dump doesn't.
- v3ss0n 3y ago
  So - That's why they invented SSD. mind=Blown
gmerc 3y ago
We’re truly in the endgame it seems, large corporates grabbing every piece of data they can swallow while regulators sleep. And forget about turning shit like this off when Web Integrity is the game. The implication is total surveillance through multimodal LLM, click the wrong reddit link and the classifiers report you for CSAM or terrorism before you can close your browser in horror.
kderbyma 3y ago
It's like they hire only socially inept sociopathic leadership.......
RecycledEle 3y ago
Given how many contracts we agree to online (including online orders and TOS) we need a browser plug-in that records the screen, saves it in a text-searchable form and makes it easy to figure out when I orders that LG TV and what the warranty was, even if the warranty was blurry text in an image. If all the data was saved to our PC, and maybe to our Google Drive, I'd pay for that SaaS. It should automatically record, but ditch the recording if it seems to be unimportant and if I do not tell it to keep the recording. That way, when I click "I agree" and instantly regret it, I have a record. It should capture all the text hidden in scrolling text boxes. Does anyone make something like this?

41 points by RadixDLT 3y ago

lemondice 3y ago

I doubt they're doing this for users. Like everything else, they're doing it for Microsoft.

damnesian 3y ago

you may not enable it. windows update might keep turning it on though.

rolph 3y ago

[ The offline reading "experience" doesn't seem to be part of the new screenshot-saving feature, though. When there's no internet connection available, trying to open a site with a saved screenshot simply returns a "no connection" error page. Microsoft doesn't even explain how and where screenshots are saved, if they're encrypted, or if they are being "synchronized" on the cloud for easier portability. ] [ And then there's the privacy issue: a feature designed to take a snapshot of every single visited web page wouldn't be the most desired addition for people interested in keeping their browsing habits private. A saved screenshot could include usernames, passwords, or other kinds of potentially sensitive information. Microsoft doesn't provide any clue about how Edge will behave in these situations. ]

JonChesterfield 3y ago

Sounds about right. Maybe this will be the magic trick that makes some IT security professionals reconsider giving Microsoft all their proprietary corporate data. Doubt it though, outlook somehow isn't seen as an exfiltration vector.

StanislavPetrov 3y ago

Doesn't Microsoft understand that people don't need any more reasons not to use Edge?

pjmlp 3y ago
But those KPIs, the team has to reach them for the next evaluation round.

j-bos 3y ago

Does anyone else feel tired of their tools being spying om them? Maybe I grew up comfortably, but I remember when the idea of huge corporations and everyone im between knowing every detail of pir life was either incredible (not realistic) or an abominable concept. Today feels like there's a magnifying glass shoved into every crack of life. And it's "normal". Maybe I shouldn't have read 1984 in school.

hulitu 3y ago
There is a whole industry based upon spying people. Even 3 letter agencies participate in it. Ann they pay the politicians to preserve the current state of affairs. That's why you won't see any improvement in this area anytime soon.
- BizarroLand 3y ago
  Just because everyone is doing it doesn't mean it's not service to the devil. It's evil and against just about everything I believe in.

lukeplato 3y ago

I imagine this is for training a multimodal transformer to retrieve previously viewed content and personalize generative conversational bots

kderbyma 3y ago
I believe it is for heinous purposes and intentions far beyond beneficial uses......it's meant to be cutthroat (which means death is involved)

lazyjeff 3y ago

I've already made such a tool, and it works for any browser on Windows, and all the data is local -- yours. https://irchiver.com/ https://irchiver.com/

NoZebra120vClip 3y ago

ISTR someone who worked at a US defense contractor, who commented on HN to say that you could always tell when Corporate IT was spying on your desktop, because it froze a little bit at a time, they were taking a series of screenshots. So I have to wonder, Edge folks, Edgertons, Edgy McEdgefaces, does this hinder Edge's performance by a bit? Surely the disk I/O will get you if the graphics dump doesn't.

v3ss0n 3y ago
So - That's why they invented SSD. mind=Blown

gmerc 3y ago

We’re truly in the endgame it seems, large corporates grabbing every piece of data they can swallow while regulators sleep. And forget about turning shit like this off when Web Integrity is the game. The implication is total surveillance through multimodal LLM, click the wrong reddit link and the classifiers report you for CSAM or terrorism before you can close your browser in horror.

kderbyma 3y ago

It's like they hire only socially inept sociopathic leadership.......

RecycledEle 3y ago

Given how many contracts we agree to online (including online orders and TOS) we need a browser plug-in that records the screen, saves it in a text-searchable form and makes it easy to figure out when I orders that LG TV and what the warranty was, even if the warranty was blurry text in an image. If all the data was saved to our PC, and maybe to our Google Drive, I'd pay for that SaaS. It should automatically record, but ditch the recording if it seems to be unimportant and if I do not tell it to keep the recording. That way, when I click "I agree" and instantly regret it, I have a record. It should capture all the text hidden in scrolling text boxes. Does anyone make something like this?