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

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 local photo libraries, 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. Notably, the app currently cannot be uninstalled separately; users who wish to remove it must fully uninstall OneDrive.