Brave browser to block Microsoft Recall from screenshotting browsing activity
With the release of version 1.81 on Windows, Brave browser will block Microsoft Recall from taking automatic screenshots of users' browsing activity. This update addresses ongoing privacy concerns surrounding the Recall feature, which is available on Windows 11 and newer systems. Brave will disable Recall by default, but users who prefer to keep the functionality can toggle it back on via settings.
This move follows significant criticism of Microsoft Recall, which originally stored full-screen screenshots in a local plaintext database and left them susceptible to access by anyone with local privileges. The security community and privacy advocates pushed back strongly after Recall's May 2024 launch, prompting Microsoft to pause and substantially redesign the feature before reintroducing it a year later.
Other privacy-focused apps have taken similar precautions. For example, the Signal messaging app previously blocked Recall from accessing chat window, reinforcing a broader industry trend toward protecting user data against invasive system-level logging tools.
- Web Browser
- Free • Open Source
Related news
External links
- Brave blocks Microsoft Recall by defaultBrave • Official source
- Brave's browser now blocks Microsoft Recall, but you can do it tooPCWorld
- Brave browser blocks privacy-busting Microsoft RecallThe Register
- Brave browser is going to block Windows Recall by defaultWindows Central
- Brave browser blocks Windows feature that takes screenshots of everything you do on your PCNeowin
- Brave Will Block Recall in Windows 11 by DefaultThurrott
Comments
Actually, Brave Browser only tells Recall that all its browser windows are private, and since Recall is not supposed to take screenshots of browser private windows, it does the trick. Where Signal uses the long-standing DRM protection Windows API to completely hide the content (as it was copyrighted content). So, one this one, users just have to blindly trust Microsoft for not wanting one day to take screenshot of private windows by default, or by mistake...
Good to see a good-sized company pushing back against this privacy invasive software. Hopefully, this will lead other browsers/software to do the same. I love to see decisions like this that make privacy better for the everyday user.