4 ms·

Ask HN: Signal App recording screen when is in background

25 points by seleythen 3y ago

Has anyone observed it? After the new macos update, there is quite a visible icon when screen/sound is recorded. I had the Signal app active in the background, when I noticed that at first - it was recording my screen for a few seconds, and then recording sound (the same for a moment). I didn't catch it on screenshots (for a moment I am trying to filter system logs). So as before - has anyone also observed it?

DANmode 3y ago
I've seen it using my Location outside of when I've asked, when I use "Only This Time" permissions, but rare, short, and near enough to my usage of the permission to think it was anything but a bug. No screen recording. Depending on how often, I'd be suspecting a malicious version of Signal.
gentleman11 3y ago
Get a screenshot and/or show us how to reproduce it. macOS you said? There’s a system tray notification?
- chris37879 3y ago
  The new version of macOS shows a purple box icon whenever something uses the "record your screen" permission, similar to how it shows the mic or camera icons when they're used.
thedougd 3y ago
Where did you install it from?
- seleythen 3y ago
  I don't remember, probably from the official site - it was 1.5 years ago. Then I was just updating it from the application. For now, I reinstalled it and I will see if it repeats.
jszymborski 3y ago
Is this on iOS? Haven't observed this on Grapheme.
- DANmode 3y ago
  MacOS. My anecdote was on GrapheneOS, though.
cmrx64 3y ago
it’s probably the same as this chromium bug which impacts Opera: https://blogs.opera.com/security/2023/10/screen-capture-notification-macos-sonoma/ https://blogs.opera.com/security/2023/10/screen-capture-noti... basically it’s warming up a cache… i wonder what triggers it in the background, maybe the app restarted itself for an update?
desertraven 3y ago
It wouldn't surprise me. No reason why a phone number is needed to use the app, and if people think their messages aren't monitored when using it, they're dreaming. It's not truly e2e encrypted, and I think it is just better than giving that data to the usual suspects (Facebook, Google, etc). That's why I use it, but I'm under no illusion that this free app isn't trying to get my data just as much as any other. Screen recording is a step further than I expected, but not toooo surprising.
- ThePowerOfFuet 3y ago
  Your tinfoil hat is a smidge too tight, methinks. And this is coming from someone who also wears one.
  - desertraven 3y ago
    The comment was a bit snarky (and perhaps paranoid), which is unusual for me. Back to the tinfoil hats, do you believe communications on Signal can't be accessed by anyone except the two recipients? And why do you believe that? Admittedly my position comes from a more ignorant place - that surveillance seems to be top priority for government agencies, and our governments decreasingly serve the wellbeing of the people. Pretty shallow I admit, but I can't actually believe that the most popular, privacy-centric chat platform isn't accessible by other parties. That would be absurd wouldn't it? Especially with government-mandated backdoors in everything.

25 points by seleythen 3y ago

DANmode 3y ago

I've seen it using my Location outside of when I've asked, when I use "Only This Time" permissions, but rare, short, and near enough to my usage of the permission to think it was anything but a bug. No screen recording. Depending on how often, I'd be suspecting a malicious version of Signal.

gentleman11 3y ago

Get a screenshot and/or show us how to reproduce it. macOS you said? There’s a system tray notification?

chris37879 3y ago
The new version of macOS shows a purple box icon whenever something uses the "record your screen" permission, similar to how it shows the mic or camera icons when they're used.

thedougd 3y ago

Where did you install it from?

seleythen 3y ago
I don't remember, probably from the official site - it was 1.5 years ago. Then I was just updating it from the application. For now, I reinstalled it and I will see if it repeats.

jszymborski 3y ago

Is this on iOS? Haven't observed this on Grapheme.

DANmode 3y ago
MacOS. My anecdote was on GrapheneOS, though.

cmrx64 3y ago

it’s probably the same as this chromium bug which impacts Opera: https://blogs.opera.com/security/2023/10/screen-capture-notification-macos-sonoma/ https://blogs.opera.com/security/2023/10/screen-capture-noti... basically it’s warming up a cache… i wonder what triggers it in the background, maybe the app restarted itself for an update?

desertraven 3y ago

It wouldn't surprise me. No reason why a phone number is needed to use the app, and if people think their messages aren't monitored when using it, they're dreaming. It's not truly e2e encrypted, and I think it is just better than giving that data to the usual suspects (Facebook, Google, etc). That's why I use it, but I'm under no illusion that this free app isn't trying to get my data just as much as any other. Screen recording is a step further than I expected, but not toooo surprising.

ThePowerOfFuet 3y ago
Your tinfoil hat is a smidge too tight, methinks. And this is coming from someone who also wears one.
- desertraven 3y ago
  The comment was a bit snarky (and perhaps paranoid), which is unusual for me. Back to the tinfoil hats, do you believe communications on Signal can't be accessed by anyone except the two recipients? And why do you believe that? Admittedly my position comes from a more ignorant place - that surveillance seems to be top priority for government agencies, and our governments decreasingly serve the wellbeing of the people. Pretty shallow I admit, but I can't actually believe that the most popular, privacy-centric chat platform isn't accessible by other parties. That would be absurd wouldn't it? Especially with government-mandated backdoors in everything.