The feature doesn't impact macOS, iOS, or Android versions of the app - it's strictly a Windows-only measure. And there's a very specific reason behind this: Microsoft's controversial Recall feature.
Recall, which Microsoft plans to reintroduce despite backlash, automatically captures screenshots of a user's screen every few seconds in the background. The idea is that these snapshots can help users, with the assistance of Windows' Copilot AI, retrace their steps or recover forgotten actions - say, the name of that app you briefly opened or the form you accidentally closed.
But for privacy-first platforms like Signal, that kind of constant surveillance raises major red flags. And since Microsoft hasn't offered any tools for developers to opt their apps out of Recall's screenshot collection, Signal has taken matters into its own hands - creatively.
Instead of waiting for Microsoft to offer a proper opt-out, Signal is exploiting a Windows feature originally built to serve Hollywood: "DRM mode". This mode lets an app tell Windows that its content is copyright-protected and should be shielded from screen captures - a mechanism meant to prevent pirating movies from streaming platforms.
Now, Signal is using that same system to cloak its chats. Technically, it's telling Windows that its content is protected by copyright - not to hide blockbusters, but to protect private conversations.
It's a clever hack, and one that reflects just how seriously Signal takes its users' privacy - even if it means bending a rule meant for movie studios.
image credit: Signal
Written by: Petteri Pyyny @ 22 May 2025 14:49
