ZDNET
Microsoft has been touting its Recall feature to certain Windows users, but the screen snooper is already persona non grata with one popular browser. Starting with version 1.81, Brave for Windows will block Recall from automatically taking screenshots of your browsing activity, according to an article posted on Brave's website.
"Given Brave's focus on privacy-maximizing defaults and what is at stake here (your entire browsing history), we have proactively disabled Recall for all Brave tabs," Brave said in the article. "We think it's vital that your browsing activity on Brave does not accidentally end up in a persistent database, which is especially ripe for abuse in highly highly-privacy-sensitive cases such as intimate partner violence."
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To pull off this trick, Brave is using Microsoft's own technology against it. In this case, Microsoft has stated that private browsing windows would not be included in Recall's snapshots. Extending that definition, Brave will tell the operating system that every tab is private, which will automatically prevent Recall from snooping on it. Brave provided further details on this sneaky workaround via a GitHub page.
Though Recall will be disabled by default, Brave users will be able to turn it on should they wish. To do that, simply head to Settings in the browser, go to the section for "Privacy and security," and then turn off the switch to block Microsoft Recall.
Currently available only on Copilot+ PCs, Recall has been in preview mode just for Windows insiders since April. On Tuesday, Microsoft officially rolled out the feature as a preview for all Copilot+ PC users via a major Windows 11 update.
Initially announced in May 2024, the AI-powered Recall is a type of photographic memory for your computer. By taking a series of snapshots of your activity in Windows, the feature acts as an advanced search tool that lets you quickly find things you've done and seen. That certainly sounds helpful.
But any tool that captures everything you see and do in Windows also sounds like a privacy risk. After learning how Recall works, Windows users expressed concerns, while some security experts called it a "privacy nightmare."
Also: 5 great Chrome browser alternatives that put your privacy first
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