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The massive image: Since its announcement final yr, Home windows Recall has confronted mounting criticism from privateness consultants who’ve labeled it a possible surveillance instrument – regardless of Microsoft’s assurances of hermetic safety. Now, some builders are taking issues into their very own palms, leveraging built-in Home windows options to protect customers from what many advocates view as a critical intrusion into private privateness.
Sign was one of many first apps to block Home windows Recall from capturing screenshots of its interface, and extra builders have since adopted go well with. This week, each Courageous and AdGuard introduced comparable measures to protect customers from what they describe as undesirable surveillance by Microsoft.
AdGuard warned that Microsoft’s portrayal of Recall as a “privacy-friendly” function is deceptive, citing the restrictions of conventional safeguards like PINs and content material filters. PINs, they argue, are simply compromised, whereas filters can fail to catch sure varieties of delicate information.
Calling the function “unsettling,” the builders famous that screenshots of personal chat home windows might inadvertently expose private info, elevating considerations about each consumer privateness and the danger of monetary fraud. Of their view, the one dependable solution to shield towards these dangers is to disable Home windows Recall completely.
Your searching is not non-public if Home windows 11 is taking screenshots of every thing you do.
Courageous will block the controversial function Microsoft Recall by default with our v1.81 replace. pic.twitter.com/LngV4SDjAy
– Courageous (@courageous) July 22, 2025
Earlier this week, the makers of the privacy-focused Courageous browser announced that Home windows Recall will probably be blocked from capturing screenshots of Courageous home windows by default, marking a brand new step to guard consumer privateness. Based on a put up on the corporate’s GitHub web page, Courageous builders are leveraging Microsoft’s SetInputScope API to disable the controversial function.
Whereas Recall already refrains from screenshotting non-public searching classes, Courageous goes additional by designating all browser home windows as non-public. This method prevents Home windows from recording any searching exercise, no matter whether or not it is in incognito mode or not.
For these unfamiliar, Home windows Recall routinely captures screenshots of lively home windows each few seconds on supported Home windows 11 PCs. Microsoft pitches it as a productiveness instrument designed to assist customers retrace their digital steps, however critics say it is a privateness nightmare in disguise. The function has drawn sharp backlash for probably exposing delicate info, together with passwords, well being information, non-public chats, and monetary particulars.
Following public outcry, Microsoft delayed the rollout and promised stronger safeguards. The corporate additionally enabled third-party builders to dam Recall utilizing both the SetInputScope API or a Digital Rights Administration flag – loopholes that builders like Courageous and AdGuard at the moment are utilizing to insulate their customers.
