- Signal has a new option for its Windows 11 app to block recall
- The developer had to fudge a way to prevent screenshots of the messaging app that was taken
- Unfortunately, this side effects such as disrupting screen reading tools but signal says Microsoft has not left it any choice
Signal, a messaging app that majors in security and privacy (and has been in the limelight recently), has introduced a measure to defend content sent via the platform from the curious eyes of Microsoft’s recall function.
In the event that you have forgotten-usual, I know I-call is the controversial feature of Copilot+ PCS that provides an AI-driven deep search in Windows 11. This does this by taking regular screen traps of the activity on your PC and you can see where the conflict comes in if the functional screen messages sent via a privacy-focused app as a signal.
As a counter to this, signal announced in a blog post (picked up by The Verge) that it introduces a new ‘Screen Security’ setting for its Windows 11 app, and this will be turned on users of desktop us by default. This functionality is being rolled out now.
What the developer has done here is to activate a DRM flag on the signal window window as a fudge to prevent recall from catching screens. It uses this solution because Microsoft could not offer “granular settings for app developers that would allow signal to easily protect privacy” with recall, observing the blog post.
Signal notes: “We enable an additional layer of protection by default on Windows 11 to help maintain the security of Signal Desktop on this platform, although it introduces some usability exchanges. Microsoft has simply given us no other option.”
What is the usability of? Blocking screens from any angle using this DRM fudge means legitimate use of screen catching is excluded and also some screen reading tools (which tells in Windows 11) or other accessibility features may not work properly. So it’s far from ideal, but Signal claims Microsoft hasn’t left it any choice.
Analysis: Clear signal
This seems to be an important part of the equation missing with recall. Famously, the Microsoft pulled the feature after it was first revealed a year ago and took it back to the drawing board and tightened up safety and privacy in several ways. But it was a case of attaching and smoothing of weaknesses instead of strengthening measures – recall was launched way Too early and without enough thought, worrying.
And still after all that time, there are software developers out there as the manufacturer of signal, pointing out a fundamental error in recalling that Microsoft should have addressed at this time.
Remember that this does not apply to you if you do not have a copilot+ PC, as only these devices receive recall (it requires a beef NPU for locally accelerating AI workload to make sure the feature works evenly enough).
While the new setting is enabled by default for signal in Windows 11, you can turn it off by going to Signal Settings> Privacy> Screen Security (You are warned that you are disabling the ability).
It will certainly be worth seeing this space in the future, and I hope Microsoft will implement a proper way to let developers control how recall interacting with their apps as this only gives a meaning-icing to privacy-related software.
