San Francisco, CA – The Brave browser has moved to automatically block Microsoft's controversial Recall feature by default, citing ongoing privacy concerns despite Microsoft's recent adjustments to make the tool opt-in. Brendan Eich, CEO of Brave Software, highlighted the persistent risks in a recent tweet, stating, > "Good thing @Brave blocks Recall, even though MS, after disastrous launch with Recall opt-out, made it opt-in. It still captures sensitive info as @TheRegister reports. I sense a bad game of Whack-a-mole is afoot."
Microsoft's Recall, designed for Copilot+ PCs, creates a "photographic memory" of user activity by taking periodic screenshots to enable searchable history. Initially set to be opt-out, the feature faced significant backlash from cybersecurity experts and privacy advocates who warned of potential data breaches and misuse. In response, Microsoft shifted Recall to an opt-in model and implemented additional security measures, including requiring Windows Hello authentication for access and encrypting the stored data.
Despite these changes, Brave Software believes the feature still poses a substantial privacy risk. Starting with version 1.81, Brave will prevent Recall from capturing screenshots of its browsing activity across all tabs. The company achieves this by leveraging Microsoft's own privacy protocols, signaling to the operating system that every Brave tab is "private," a designation Microsoft applies to incognito browsing sessions to prevent Recall from recording them.
This proactive stance by Brave follows similar actions by other privacy-focused applications like Signal, which also implemented measures to block Recall. Brave emphasized that its method allows for normal screenshot functionality and accessibility tools to remain operational, unlike some more drastic blocking techniques. The browser's move underscores a broader industry debate regarding user data collection and privacy in the age of AI-powered features.
Users of Brave will find Recall blocking enabled by default, reinforcing the browser's commitment to privacy-maximizing settings. While Microsoft has iterated on Recall's security, companies like Brave continue to push for stronger, default privacy protections in response to evolving digital surveillance capabilities.