Signal said today it updated its Windows app to prevent the system from capturing screenshots, thereby protecting the content on display.
The company said this new “screen security” setting is enabled by default on Windows 11. Signal said the new feature was designed to protect user privacy from Microsoft’s recall feature announced last year. Recall continuously captures screenshots of the system and remembers all the activities, so you can scroll in time to remember what you’re looking at.
The company paused its deployment of features after a backlash last year, but Microsoft began testing again in April via the Windows Preview channel. Microsoft has added a way to opt-in to features and pause them at any time. According to the signal, despite these changes, this feature still captures sensitive content.
According to the signal, if you are trying to take a screenshot with the new screen security settings enabled, you simply get a blank screen.
The company also warned that if the settings are enabled, some features, such as screen readers, may not function as intended. You can turn off the settings using (Signal Settings)>(Privacy)>(Screen)
You will receive a warning in your app when you are trying to disable this option and you will need to check to complete the action. This is to prevent accidentally turning off the feature while trying to adjust other settings.
“We hope that AI team building systems like recalls will take these meanings more carefully in the future. Apps like Signal should not need to implement “one strange trick” to maintain the privacy and integrity of the service without the right developer tools,” Signal said in a blog post.