Microsoft Quietly Launches OneDrive Photos App, Built-in AI Facial Recognition Feature Sparks Privacy Controversy

TechFlow news, July 30: According to Decrypt, Microsoft is silently pushing the new OneDrive Photos app to some Windows 11 users via Windows Update or OneDrive client updates. The app can automatically index the local photo library, supports natural language AI search and optical character recognition, and includes an optional face grouping feature. Since face data is considered biometric information in some regions, this feature requires users to actively enable it. It is worth noting that the app currently cannot be uninstalled separately; if users wish to remove it, they must completely uninstall OneDrive.