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Brave blocks Microsoft Recall by default

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Re: Brave blocks Microsoft Recall by default

#211

Post by skaul »

jadamson wrote: post #2

I'm curious about the last paragraph relating to Signal. How, exactly, have Brave managed this without also blocking screenshots? Is there a flag Signal missed?

(disclaimer: I lead privacy at Brave and wrote the article)

Windows lets browser apps (more technically, apps that have an `http` or `https` protocol handler registered) to use `SetInputScope` function to set `IS_PRIVATE` for a window. We were able to use that and have it apply for all Brave windows, and thus granularly turn off Recall without affecting non-Recall screen readers or screenshot capabilities.

Signal doesn't have protocol handlers for `http` and `https`, so it can't do the same.

Re: Brave blocks Microsoft Recall by default

#212

Post by AndroidKitKat »

dotancohen wrote: post #106
glimshe wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"It works BUT" summarizes my experience with running my top applications on Linux, unfortunately :(

Which apps are those?

For me, there's a small handful of games that keep me from using Linux on my main PC - RuneScape and League of Legends. RuneScape has some nasty bugs where the GPU isn't detected when running under Wayland, but if you run the game via Proton-thru-Steam you don't have access to all your accounts (I occasionally play on two). League of Legends just straight up doesn't work at all after they added their rootkit-as-anticheat, but it's the only way I keep in touch with some friends.

Re: Brave blocks Microsoft Recall by default

#213

Post by skaul »

Yolopix wrote: post #156

I'm tired of all these apps using Recall as a lazy way to create pointless "privacy improving" features. This is pure marketing and there is absolutely no actual intention of improving user privacy. As far as I know, Recall has never been enabled by default on any Windows-PC, even the new "Copilot+ PCs", so this should not be a concern as users have to explicitely opt-in to enable this privacy-invading feature. First…

(disclaimer: I lead privacy at Brave and wrote the article)

> How am I supposed to use Brave or Signal if the setting to disable this feature is not accessible because I can't even see the settings screen first?

Brave's implementation shouldn't block screen readers or screenshot tools. It only blocks Recall. See the blog post: https://brave.com/privacy-updates/35-block-recall#disabling-...

Re: Brave blocks Microsoft Recall by default

#214

Post by skaul »

ritenuto wrote: post #7

Interestingly, the linked Recall docs[1] mention a way to filter apps and/or websites from being saved; however: > This setting applies only to Enterprise and Education editions of Windows. That limitation looks extremely impractical. [1]: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/client-management/...

(disclaimer: I lead privacy at Brave and wrote the article)

See the blog post for how we implemented this: https://brave.com/privacy-updates/35-block-recall/#how-we-im.... We took Recall's guidance for web browsers and extended it to apply for ALL windows, not just Private Browsing: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/ai/recall/recall-w...

Re: Brave blocks Microsoft Recall by default

#215

Post by amanaplanacanal »

gchamonlive wrote: post #194
dotancohen wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which apps are those?

I was able to run Ableton on Linux once, but it was finnicky and didn't give me the confidence if I ever had to do a performance live with it. Unfortunately there are fields that couldn't care less about software freedom and ownership and Microsoft abuse this for profit.

I'm an old guy who has run Linux off and on from the very beginning. Every so often I attempt to replace my windows laptop with Linux, and it always turns into days of dinking around with configuration hacks and installing this and that and the other thing trying to get all my software to work. There always some roadblock that prevents migrating completely. Eventually I always end up going back to Windows. I wish it weren't so.

Re: Brave blocks Microsoft Recall by default

#216

Post by mystifyingpoi »

louthy wrote: post #60
glimshe wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or most professional audio applications...

Bitwig works on Linux, but the problem I had was that my pro-audio soundcard [1] didn’t have supported drivers and I couldn’t get the open source drivers to work. I tried switching to a Dante based solution: none of the Dante based apps worked, so I tried AES67 (open source Dante), still no joy — I just could not get my Dante/AES67 AD/DA converters (which attach to everything in my studio) to be ‘seen’ on Linux. So a…

Linux audio is definitely hit and miss. Even with the most standard soundcard in existence (Scarlett) I still had problems with it. After fiddling a bit it works okay-ish, but there were definitely moments of "screw it, I'm buying a Mac".

Re: Brave blocks Microsoft Recall by default

#217

Post by sdoering »

creakingstairs wrote: post #72
sdoering wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

YMMV I switched from Mac to WIN a few years ago, because maintaining MB Pros became a nightmare, after having had six burned mainboards (with Macbook Pro devices each) within 3 years. I had definitely enough. Happy my former employer had to shell out the money for repairs/replacements. But each time getting back into a workable state with my backups still took north of two days. And while for my day job I still need…

Can’t say I blame you after such an experience. To give another data point, I don’t think I’ve ever had any of my MacBooks fail. My old ones are still happily being used by my in-laws. That being said, I am eyeing up Framework for next laptop.

> That being said, I am eyeing up Framework for next laptop.

Same here. Had the 2017-era MBP (pre-M1 days). Still miss my 2014 though - that thing was solid.

The newer Intel ones ran stupidly hot, especially driving 4K externals at full res. Add corporate "compliance software" (read: bloatware that shall not be named) and those machines basically lived at 80-90°C. Heat up in the morning, thermal throttle all day, cool down overnight, repeat.

Our IT dept tracked failure rates - roughly 0.5-1.5% (depending on holiday season or not) of the MBP fleet was always out for thermal-related repairs at any given time. Not exactly confidence-inspiring for a $3k+ machine.

Re: Brave blocks Microsoft Recall by default

#218

Post by crtasm »

diggan wrote: post #205
crtasm wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Windows already tracks file usage (e.g. recent files), maybe that could be set to keep more history.

I'm not sure if both you and previous parent don't know, but the main useful thing with Recall is understanding whatever is on the screen, not just file accesses, or URLs visited but basically anything. So while Google's activity might see some parts, recent files sees another and so on, deriving that from screenshots captures everything you'd see on the screen.

I'm aware. You suggested querying local file access history based on their contents, that could be achieved without taking screenshots and OCRing them.

Re: Brave blocks Microsoft Recall by default

#219

Post by poulpy123 »

hodgehog11 wrote: post #171
poulpy123 wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For the same reason that I didn't replace my linux at home and at works by windows: because they have different strengths. Windows has for it: - the gazillion software, free or crazily expensive, that do not exist on linux - the hardware compatibility, whatever is built, it is with windows on mind - the office file formats that are the de facto standart - the software installation model that is very crap but infinite…

I use both Windows and Linux, and while I agree with your first three points for specific proprietary software depending on your job, the last two seem a bit odd. I thought these are often considered advantages of Linux?

I know that my opinions on these 2 topics are controversial, but they come from decade to usage of both of them as end-user that just want to click and use.

Moreover I think that not only windows' model is bad, and worse what makes it better than linux's model is the monopolistic and proprietary nature of windows.

At first, comparing both model can be thought as a joke: on windows, discovery and installations are manual, update are either manual or have to be implemented by the software developer, uninstallation is a bad joke that can let several gigabytes somewhere on your hard drive without even your knowledge or knowing how to find them (I'm not considering the app store, winget, etc because they are either bad or not well integrated).

But because windows versions last long, that they are very few of them and because the software is decoupled from the OS, installing a software on any windows machine that is less than 10 or 15 years old is downloading one of the maximum two installers, click to install and it's done. To update is just to accept the update for most software, but indeed to check first if there is an update for still many software and repeat the installation step. There is now redeeming the uninstallation: going to the parameter windows, uninstalling the software, and praying everything is properly removed.

In theory, on linux everything is better: click on the app center/use a command and look for what you want, clink install/type a command to install, everything is updated in one click/command, a software is uninstalled in on click/command.

But practice is different: discovery is still manual because you need to have more information and know the alternatives. Installation and update are where the real issue is: at the difference of windows, there is a close coupling of the OS and software. Every software has to be built and packaged for the dozen of distributions and all the versions of each distribution. The work is often duplicated: both the distrib managers and upstream propose their own packages. if you need or want to install from upstream, the dev must have their own repository that you have to add or you have do install the package manually. Update has the same issue: cross your fingers that your distribution and its version is covered either by the distribution or upstream, and that there is no conflict several sources are available. If you installed a package manually, it's not better than on windows. And because of the software-OS coupling, updating the OS means updating the software, and updating the software may mean updating the OS. Uninstallation is much better: afaik the issue of removing the dependencies is mostly resolved, and if sometimes some stuff is not removed, it's either small, not safely removable or easy to find.

For the OS updat, in theory again linux is much better, but in practice and since windows 7, here again because of the longevity of the OS versions and the decoupling OS-software I had less issues under windows

Re: Brave blocks Microsoft Recall by default

#220

Post by ConceptJunkie »

hbn wrote: post #193

This is only tangentially related, but I just started using Brave (on Windows) in the past couple weeks in preparation for uBlock Origin being blocked in Chrome. Once I disabled all the weird service integrations/upsells it's been a decent enough experience. But the one bizarre thing I've found is typing in the YouTube comment box is laggy as hell for some reason. No other text field that I've found has this issue, j…

I've been using Brave since forever and comment on YouTube a fair bit and have never experienced this. There are a few instances where I had to go to another browser to make a website work, but even those have become vanishingly small.

Could it be an extension?

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