This fan-requested Microsoft Teams feature could have prevented a major livestream blunder

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During the Build 2025 event, I found myself in an unexpected spotlight as Microsoft’s AI security lead, Neta Haiby. In the midst of a live stream, a slip-up occurred – I accidentally shared Walmart’s AI strategies that were hidden within our Microsoft Teams messages. Oops!

The error occurred during the process of evicting a demonstrator, leading to a tense atmosphere. Under such stressful circumstances, it becomes challenging to focus on adjusting message blurs or recalling recently opened messages in Teams.

It would be beneficial if Microsoft could incorporate an automatic blurring feature into Teams for privacy reasons, as this idea has already been discussed or suggested before. For instance, Li Dia brought up the topic of blurring messages during screen sharing back in March 2024.

Is there a way to automatically dim or hide message windows in Microsoft Teams during screen sharing, so that my conversations are not visible to others? This would prevent situations where I accidentally share my screen, or if I move a window and Teams is hidden behind it, revealing my messages.

It appears that neither Dia nor Microsoft 365 currently have this particular feature available.

Presenting an innovation that automatically blurs chat interfaces can significantly enhance user’s privacy and security concerns. At present, individuals wishing to glance at their messages during presentations must halt screen sharing for private viewing or resort to using another device to check messages. By incorporating this feature, we aim to provide a more seamless experience while maintaining confidentiality.

In certain scenarios, it’s entirely possible for a presenter to opt for sharing just a particular window instead of the entire screen, or employ alternative methods to secure sensitive information. However, incorporating an automatic blurring feature could prove particularly useful in tense situations or when unforeseen events like a protest during a speech at a conference arise, as it would help maintain focus on the content being presented.

Microsoft might as well develop a functionality that blurs across various messaging applications, not limiting it to Microsoft Teams alone. Given the constant advancement of AI technology, over time, Microsoft’s AI functionalities could become proficient at identifying and operating within different messaging platforms.

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2025-05-21 20:39