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Microsoft has fixed an issue where its Edge browser was again misbehaving, this time by automatically importing browsing data and tabs from Chrome without consent. I personally experienced the bug last month, after I rebooted my PC for a regular Windows update and Microsoft Edge automatically opened with the Chrome tabs I was working on before the update.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
I asked Microsoft repeatedly to explain why this behavior had occurred for myself and many other Windows users, but the company refused to comment. Microsoft has now quietly issued a fix in the latest Microsoft Edge update. Here\u2019s how Microsoft describes the fix:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nEdge has a feature that provides an option to import browser data on each launch from other browsers with user consent. This feature\u2019s state might not have been syncing and displaying correctly across multiple devices. This is fixed.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
\nThe fix suggests that the setting for controlling the automatic import of browsing data wasn\u2019t syncing and displaying correctly across devices. We\u2019ve asked Microsoft for more clarity on the root cause of this issue, but we\u2019re not holding our breath for a response.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nI\u2019m sure part of the reason Microsoft doesn\u2019t want to comment here is because the company has a long history of using the sort of tactics we\u2019ve seen from spyware developers to promote its web browser. While this latest issue could well be an innocent bug, some of the many tricks that Microsoft has used include monthly Windows updates that launch Edge\u00a0and pin it to the desktop and taskbar without permission, and polls\u00a0or\u00a0prompts\u00a0that suddenly appear to dissuade you from downloading Chrome.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nMozilla, the creators of the Firefox browser, recently commissioned a research paper \u201cto investigate Microsoft\u2019s tactics and the impact on consumers.\u201d The paper explores Microsoft\u2019s use of harmful design tactics that run contrary to the company\u2019s own design guidelines, and can undermine competition from rival browsers. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nThese tactics include subtle ways to force Windows 11 users into Edge, ignoring the default browser\u00a0if they clicked a link from the Windows Widgets panel or from search results. Microsoft also started forcing Outlook and Teams to open links in Edge last year, angering IT admins.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nSome of these tactics will be addressed with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in EEA markets \u2014 which includes EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. These changes will allow Windows 11 users in these markets to uninstall Edge, and allow search providers like Google to extend the main Windows Search interface with their own custom web searches. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nWhile the DMA regulations apply to Windows, Microsoft won\u2019t have to make any changes to Edge, Bing, or Microsoft Advertising as they\u2019re exempt from the DMA rules. \u201cMicrosoft recently pledged to stop some of the actions it takes to force Edge on users who have selected other browsers,\u201d says Mozilla. \u201cUnfortunately, these changes only address a small number of the tactics outlined in this report. And, to make matters worse, they will only be deployed to users in the EEA.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n[ad_2]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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