Hi, some apps such as displaylink require us to give permission to record screen. Will this create a security risk? Even some may consider that displaylink is reliable, is there a possibility that some malicious apps make use of this to cause security risk in our Mac system?
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Is it a bad idea to give app permission to record screen?
- Thread starter hajime
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Some apps need the access to work the way intended. In the support or FAQ, the app developer will often explain why access is needed. So it's a balance between risk and what you functionally want an app to do. I don't use Displaylink so offer no view, but I do use other trusted apps which need access.
I think Apple's terminology could be creating a bit of confusion. DisplayLink needs to "see" what's on the screen so that it can send that image to the connected screen. It's not "recording" in the traditional sense.
Yeah, this has always bothered me. In truth, if it can see it, it could record it, so the wording is the pessimists view, but it does make it sound like it’s asking specifically to record the screen
Yes.
You can give the permission only when using the app and remove it after.
System Settings - Privacy & Security - Screen Recording
https://support.apple.com/guide/mac...ty-settings-on-mac-mchl211c911f/13.0/mac/13.0
There's not really any confusion in wording.
Let's be clear here. By providing Displaylink the permission to Record/view the screen, that's exactly the permissions and data being made available to it.
In other words, it's giving closed source propriety software product full access to your screen data and everything that appears on it. What does this 'black-box' software do with that data? We don't know, because it's closed source and propriety.
Yes we know it needs the permission to provide the functionality it does - which is a workaround way of sending video data via USB (because Apple failed to provide basic dual-external monitor functionality), but can we be sure what else DisplayLink does with that data? No.
Is it safe? We can't be certain.
Is it recording/saving/keeping/doing analytics on all of the data that appears on your screen including sensitive, private and potentially incriminating information? Is it selling your data? Training AI with it? Maybe - we don't know.
Let's be clear here. By providing Displaylink the permission to Record/view the screen, that's exactly the permissions and data being made available to it.
In other words, it's giving closed source propriety software product full access to your screen data and everything that appears on it. What does this 'black-box' software do with that data? We don't know, because it's closed source and propriety.
Yes we know it needs the permission to provide the functionality it does - which is a workaround way of sending video data via USB (because Apple failed to provide basic dual-external monitor functionality), but can we be sure what else DisplayLink does with that data? No.
Is it safe? We can't be certain.
Is it recording/saving/keeping/doing analytics on all of the data that appears on your screen including sensitive, private and potentially incriminating information? Is it selling your data? Training AI with it? Maybe - we don't know.