By Default, Signal Doesn't Recall

Summary

Signal Desktop now includes support for a new “Screen security” setting that is designed to help prevent your own computer from capturing screenshots of your Signal chats on Windows. This setting is automatically enabled by default in Signal Desktop on Windows 11.If you’re wondering why we’re only implementing this on Windows right now, it’s because the purpose of this setting is to protect your Signal messages from Microsoft Recall.First announced on May 20, 2024, Microsoft Recall takes screenshots of your apps every few seconds as you use your computer and then stores them in an easily searchable database. In Microsoft’s own words, its goal is to act as a sort of “photographic memory” for everything that you do on your computer. The words that other people chose to describe Recall upon its debut were decidedly less positive. After an intense security backlash and significant public outcry, Microsoft quickly pulled the feature.It’s a one-year anniversary that nobody wants to celebrate, but Recall is back and Signal is ready.Although Microsoft made several adjustments over the past twelve months in response to critical feedback, the revamped version of Recall still places any content that’s displayed within privacy-preserving apps like Signal at risk. As a result, we are enabling an extra layer of protection by default on Windows 11 in order to help maintain the security of Signal Desktop on that platform even though it introduces some usability trade-offs. Microsoft has simply given us no other option.Fade to BlackIf you attempt to take a screenshot of Signal Desktop when screen security is enabled, nothing will appear. This limitation can be frustrating, but it might look familiar to you if you’ve ever had the audacity to try and take a screenshot of a movie or TV show on Windows. According to Microsoft’s official developer documentation, setting the correct Digital Rights Management (DRM) flag on the application window will ensure that “content won’t show up in R...