Microsoft Acknowledges Forced OneDrive Photos Installs on Some Windows 11 PCs, Denies Training AI on Users’ Faces
Original title:微软承认向部分 Win11 设备强推 OneDrive Photos，否认拿用户人脸训练 AI
ITHome reported on August 7 that Microsoft responded today, August 7, via the technology publication Windows Latest regarding the rollout of the OneDrive Photos app on Windows 11.
Regarding the scope of the rollout, Microsoft acknowledged that it had forcibly installed the OneDrive Photos app on some Windows 11 PCs, but clarified that the application had not been pushed to enterprise devices managed through Intune.
Microsoft also addressed the app’s People feature, which groups together photos containing a particular person. The company said the feature is disabled by default in the OneDrive Photos app and that users’ photo data will not be used to train AI.
ITHome’s translation of part of Microsoft’s statement is as follows:
Microsoft has always used artificial intelligence responsibly and will not use users’ faces to train models. Please trust us.
OneDrive’s facial grouping feature runs in the cloud and only processes photos stored on OneDrive with the user’s permission. It does not process photos that users store only locally. Furthermore, all data collected by OneDrive’s facial grouping feature will be permanently deleted within 30 days after the user disables the feature.
Related reading:
“Microsoft Silently Pushes OneDrive Photos to Windows 11; App Reinstalls After Uninstallation, Hidden Shortcut Script Included”
“Report: Microsoft Quietly Rolling Out OneDrive Photos App to Windows 11, Supporting Face-Based Photo Grouping After Authorization”
Why it's worth reading
Forced installation and cloud-based face grouping raise immediate questions about platform control, consent, and biometric privacy, making Microsoft’s stated processing and deletion boundaries worth checking now.