In its latest attempt to boost Edge adoption, Microsoft appears to be increasingly marketing the browser to users of its Defender security suite. The move has been criticized for blurring the line between advisory and advertising.
The user interface design choice is said to have misleadingly led users into installing Microsoft’s own browser by promoting a feature called ‘In-browser protection with Microsoft Edge for Business’.
The tool is designed to help administrators separate personal and work browsing profiles, keeping confidential company information safe.
Microsoft accused of misleading Edge lure
While the tool, which offers protection similar to a reverse proxy, could be a useful control for businesses, the way Microsoft has pushed it has fueled online debate. The prompt appears as a security recommendation rather than being clearly identified as an advertisement.
Chrome currently accounts for about 65% of all desktop browsing sessions, compared to just 14% for Edge. Still, Edge has a leg up on Safari, which only accounts for about 9% of the desktop browser market (according to Statistics counter), with Firefox and Opera rounding out the top five.
When asked about the criticism, a Microsoft spokesperson (via The register) that administrators have full control over the experience and can disable the feature if desired.
This isn’t the first time Microsoft has faced criticism for its Edge marketing tactics, however. Earlier this year, Mozilla published a report criticizing the company for using dark patterns to push users to Edge, highlighting examples of targeted Edge ads on Google’s site.
More broadly, Microsoft is also struggling with adoption of its latest operating system. Windows 11 finally broke through 30% market share last month, but still accounts for less than one in three Windows OS cases. Windows 10 accounts for a fraction under 65%.