Brave blocks Microsoft Recall by default

How Brave blocks Recall (and how Windows treats browsers)

• Brave uses a Windows API (SetInputScope with a “private” scope) that is only available to apps registered as http/https protocol handlers (i.e., “browsers”).
• It marks all Brave windows as “private,” so Recall doesn’t capture them, while normal screenshots and accessibility tools still work.
• Signal, as a non‑browser, instead uses a DRM flag to block all screenshots, which stops Recall but also breaks legitimate screen capture and screen readers.
• Commenters note that any app can in practice register as a browser by adding an http/https handler in the registry, though that makes it appear as a browser choice to users.
• Separate docs describe enterprise/education‑only policies for centrally filtering which apps/websites Recall records; user‑side app filtering is available in all editions.

Perceived purpose and risks of Recall

• Many ask who actually wants Recall; suggested answers include investors, “AI feature” checkboxes, surveillance‑oriented employers, and state agencies.
• Some find the concept genuinely useful: an on‑device, searchable history of everything on screen (local documents, sites you forgot to bookmark, etc.), especially if it truly stays local.
• Others argue similar utility already exists via file history, search tools, or third‑party products, without continuous screenshots.
• Even with local, encrypted storage and opt‑in, people see Recall as a massive new attack surface and liken it to a visual keylogger.

Distrust of Microsoft and future changes

• Strong skepticism that Microsoft will respect “local only” and “off by default” long‑term, given its history of telemetry expansion, OneDrive redirection, and pushing Bing/Copilot.
• Some expect silent data exfiltration justified as “analytics” or model training, or enterprise policies that force Recall on workers.
• Others point out that Recall is currently opt‑in, removable via “Windows features,” and further disable‑able by group policy (with bits removed).

Apps vs. OS: is blocking Recall meaningful?

• One camp sees Brave/Signal’s anti‑Recall features as important, especially since Microsoft makes granular opt‑out hard for non‑browsers.
• Another camp calls it performative marketing: since Recall is already opt‑in and configurable per app, they argue that if you don’t trust the OS toggle, you shouldn’t be using that OS at all.

OS choices and broader backlash

• The thread is full of people vowing to stay on Windows 10, or move to Linux or macOS, citing Recall as yet another step in Windows becoming “surveillance adware.”
• Counterpoints highlight Linux’s practical drawbacks (hardware/pro‑audio support, CAD, specific games, Office/OneNote/Quicken) and macOS’s own AI/cloud‑processing features.