The privacy-minded Signal messaging service is putting a blindfold on the prying eyes of the newly returned Windows Recall, an AI-powered feature from Microsoft that takes a screenshot of whatever you’re doing on your computer every few seconds to give your PC the “photographic memory” you never asked for.
In a blog post Wednesday, Signal announced a new “screen security” feature for its Windows 11 app so that said screenshots will appear as a black screen when it tries to snap what you’re doing, much like what happens if you try to take a screenshot of digital rights management content from Netflix and the like.
Last year, Microsoft pulled Recall from new Copilot Plus PCs in response to backlash over security and privacy concerns, which continued to plague it in the ensuing months as Microsoft worked through revisions. Neither Signal nor Microsoft responded to a request for comment on the matter.
Signal’s not waiting for Recall to evolve
Signal’s new security feature for Recall does have some potential drawbacks. The blog post notes that there will be instances when taking a screenshot may be necessary and that some accessibility software, like screenreaders, may not work correctly as a result.
Luckily, the feature is both easy to disable but also hard to accidentally disable, as it will always show a warning and require confirmation to turn the feature off. “Screen security” only works on the local machine where it’s enabled, meaning that it won’t inhibit other people you’re chatting with from taking screenshots.
The blog post says that Recall doesn’t ship with controls for app developers to easily protect privacy for its users, so blocking screenshots via a DRM switch “is the best choice that we had.”
A call(out) to OS vendors
The Signal post goes into detail about how apps like Signal need to be able to prioritize privacy by default and how operating system makers need to shoulder responsibility as well. In particular it noted the advent of agentic AI software and the need to allow app developers to block OS-level AI from accessing sensitive user data.
“It’s ultimately up to companies like Microsoft to ensure that their platforms remain a suitable foundation for privacy-preserving applications like Signal,” the blog post says. “If that ever stops being the case, we’ll have to stop supporting those platforms.”
The new Screen security is rolling out now and enabled by default for those running Windows 11.
For more, don’t miss our review of the best Copilot Plus PC yet, the Asus Zenbook A14.
