• Signal feels that Windows Recall threatens the privacy of users.
• As a result, Signal is deploying DRM protection features to black out screenshots of its app.
• While this can be disabled, it will be enabled by default to protect users should Microsoft attempt to use that data for its own financial gain.

Possibly one of the worst received product updates ever conceived by Microsoft for Windows, Recall, is being readied for a wider release soon.

As a refresher, Recall quietly records everything a person does in screenshots. When a user wants to revisit a website they can’t remember the name or URL of, they can key phrases into Recall in a bid to find that content. Announced in May 2024, the feature drew criticism from privacy advocates and users who highlighted how recording everything a user does, may be a bad idea.

While Microsoft has since made changes to how data is captured and stored, there are still issues. Chief among which is that developers have no way of avoiding Recall’s prying eyes.

As such, the developers at Signal have found a way to prevent Recall from snapping shots of the private conversations its users are having – make Windows believe the content on the screen is copyright protected. Windows users will know that trying to take a screenshot of a Netflix show will simply give them a blacked-out image. Signal has said it will be using that digital rights management feature to the benefit of its users.

Essentially, when Recall takes a screenshot, users will just see a black screen. Of course, this may lead to some problems for users but Signal says Microsoft has forced its hand.

“Microsoft has launched Recall without granular settings for app developers that would enable Signal to easily protect privacy, which is a glaring omission that limits our choices. Signal is using the tools that are available to us even though we recognize that there are many legitimate use cases where someone might need to take a screenshot. For example, some accessibility software (such as screen readers or magnification tools for people who are visually impaired) may not function correctly otherwise,” writes developer at Signal, Joshua Lund.

The option to black out screenshots can be disabled by users manually and won’t translate to other applications. However, when users disable this feature, they will be warned that Windows may capture screenshots and “use them for features that may not be private”.

“We hope that the AI teams building systems like Recall will think through these implications more carefully in the future. Apps like Signal shouldn’t have to implement ‘one weird trick’ in order to maintain the privacy and integrity of their services without proper developer tools. People who care about privacy shouldn’t be forced to sacrifice accessibility upon the altar of AI aspirations either,” writes Lund.

It is truly bizarre that Microsoft hasn’t given developers (aside from web browser developers) a way to avoid Recall’s snooping, despite delaying the launch of the feature. We recognise that allowing developers the ability to block Recall would damage the viability of Recall but, perhaps that’s a signal that your feature is bad and that nobody wants it.

Recall sure has ruffled a lot of feathers for a feature that will only be available for Copilot+PCs which represent just 10 percent of Microsoft’s Windows user base.

With Signal now using DRM to protect users, we suspect other developers will follow suite before too long unless Microsoft gives them a way to avoid every action of users being recorded.