From the ®light patterns too, folks¯ department:
Feed: www.theregister.com - Articles
Title: Dark patterns in Windows are steering users to Edge: Mozilla-commissioned report
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 2026 16:24:00 +0000
Link: https://www.theregister.com/os-platforms/2026/07/15/dark-patterns-in-windows-are-steering-users-to-edge-mozilla-commissioned-report/5271792

Image[1]

A Mozilla-commissioned report is claiming that Microsoft is indulging in
all manner of bad behaviors to nudge users toward its Edge browser.
However, judging by market share statistics, any potential efforts in
that direction are not going too well for the Windows giant. The Over
The Edge 2.0 report, commissioned by Mozilla, was published earlier this
week and documents design choices from Microsoft that sent users into
the arms of Edge. It also looked at differences in Microsoft's approach
in Germany (as a stand-in for the European Economic Area (EEA) ), India,
the UK, and the US. The conclusion? "Microsoft still does not allow
users to download, set as the default, or keep using alternative
browsers without harmful interference." This might take the form of an
"All you need is right here" banner in Bing when attempting to download alternative browsers, the pre-pinning of Edge to the Windows taskbar,
and "misleading" wording, which, according to the report, could trick
users into making Edge their default. Then there is AI. The report's
authors found that Copilot ignores the default browser when opening
links, and that Copilot data-sharing toggles are preselected to ON in
the US and India. The above highlights another finding in the report ?
where Microsoft has been forced to make changes (in the EEA), it has
done so. The "All you need is right here" banner, for example, does not
appear in the EEA, but does in the UK, the US, and India. There's also
no injected Edge banner on the Chrome download page, and Windows Search
doesn't automatically use Edge instead of the default browser. The
Browser Choice Alliance applauded the report and criticized the tactics documented in it: "The researchers' findings in 'Over the Edge 2.0'
reveal how Microsoft continues to use manipulative tactics to push users
toward Edge, limiting users' ability to choose and run their chosen
browser. "The report demonstrates how Microsoft deploys harmful patterns against users on Windows 11 devices at a global scale. We call on
Microsoft to respect its users and stop using the Windows ecosystem to
steer users toward its own browser in ways that restrict user choice,
undermine web freedom, and unfairly tilt the playing field away from
fair competition and innovation." Other browser makers were also
scathing regarding the practices the report accuses Microsoft of
employing. Bruce Lawson, Vivaldi's Technical Communications Officer,
told The Register, "We're glad Mozilla's independent researchers confirm
what we've been telling regulators for years ? Microsoft is very
reluctant to compete on the merits of its own browser product, so abuses
its dominance of the Windows ecosystem to manipulate users. "The threat
of scrutiny in EU means that it's not quite so bad in Europe, but it's
still not a level playing field - and we continue to urge the UK,
Australian and Japanese regulators to step in and make their markets
fair. Vivaldi will be happy to co-pilot the code changes need, to avoid Microsoft having any unfortunate Copilot involvement. "We know how
'well' those projects turn out." The Register approached Microsoft for
comment, but the Windows giant did not respond. The alleged antics found
in the report, if true, do not appear to be serving Microsoft
particularly well. While the company does not publish official figures, Statcounter (which has tracking code on more than one million websites
globally and records billions of page views) shows Edge's market share
hovering at just over 10 percent ? a decline from 13 percent in June
2025. Mozilla's Firefox, on the other hand, has grown its share to 6.44
percent from 5.84 percent a year ago. Thus, if Microsoft is adopting the dubious design practices its competitors are accusing it of, it doesn't
appear to be working particularly well. If Statcounter is to be
believed, then even with all the alleged nudging and steering from the
Windows giant, Edge remains that thing customers use to download an alternative. A spokesperson at Mozilla sent us a statement: "Firefox is competing hard and growing on many platforms, but looking specifically
at Edge market share on Windows - which is the relevant market - the researchers note that Edge was the only browser to gain share on Windows
over the last two years. This led the authors to say (on page 10 of the report): "We hypothesise that previous harmful patterns have played a
role in this growth."?

Links:
[1]: https://image.theregister.com/?imageId=5271891&width=800 (image)


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