Microsoft has resolved a problem wherein its Edge browser was acting strangely once more, this time by integrating tabs and browsing history from Chrome automatically and without permission. The glitch was experienced by me firsthand last month when I automatically launched Microsoft Edge with the Chrome tabs I was working on before the update after restarting my computer for a routine Windows update.
Microsoft declined to comment when I constantly asked them to explain why this behavior had happened to me and many other Windows users. Now, a patch has been secretly released by Microsoft in the most recent Microsoft Edge update.
According to the update, the option that managed the automated import of browser data wasn’t syncing and displaying properly on different devices. We have requested additional information from Microsoft regarding the underlying cause of this problem, but we won’t be waiting long for a response.
Microsoft has long used the kinds of deceptive approaches we’ve seen from spyware makers to market its web browser, which is perhaps part of the reason the corporation is hesitant to comment on this matter. Even though the most recent problem might just be a harmless glitch, Microsoft has employed a number of sneaky strategies, such as monthly Windows upgrades that force Edge to open and be uninvited to be pinned to the desktop and taskbar and pop-up polls or prompts that suddenly appear to discourage you from downloading Chrome.
A study was recently commissioned “to investigate Microsoft’s tactics and the impact on consumers” by Mozilla, the company behind the Firefox browser. This study examines how Microsoft uses harmful design strategies that go against the company’s own design standards and potentially hinder competition from competing browsers.
Among these strategies are quietly forcing users of Windows 11 into using Edge instead of their default browser when they click on a link from the Windows Widgets panel or search results. IT administrators became angry when Microsoft began requiring Outlook and Teams to open links in Edge last year.
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) will address some of these strategies in EEA markets, which comprise Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and the EU. With these modifications, users of Windows 11 in these markets will be able to remove Edge, and search engines like Google will be able to add their own unique web searches to the Windows Search interface.
Microsoft will not need to make any adjustments to Edge, Bing, or Microsoft Advertising as they are immune from the DMA restrictions, even though the DMA regulations apply to Windows.
Mozilla claims that Microsoft recently promised to stop some of the activities it takes to push Edge on users who have chosen to use alternative browsers. Unfortunately, these adjustments only touch on a handful of the strategies mentioned in this report. Even worse, they will only be made available to users within the European Economic Area.
