Business Microsoft Edge Sucks Up Chrome Data Without Permission

Microsoft Edge Sucks Up Chrome Data Without Permission​

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Most of those who use Microsoft products – Windows, and the Edge browser included – must by now be well conditioned to accept that the software they run and the data they believe they own isn’t really something they control.

And perhaps this is why a “feature” as astonishing as Edge automatically importing tabs open in Google Chrome – even when Microsoft browser’s import tool is disabled – has been known for months, without getting fixed (assuming it was a bug).

But it looks like a “bug” in the company’s thinking, one of many – not exactly a software one. It’s definitely a feature, after all.

Both Edge and Chrome are based on the same Chromium engine, which should make the “operation” easier; and Microsoft and Google are birds of a feather when it comes to invasive and controversial practices and behavior toward end-users.

And when they feel they have to be, they’re not particularly nice to each other, either. Some reports suggest that this “tab-stealing” feature is in fact “just” Microsoft’s way of trying to steal users from Chrome and get them to, willy-nilly, switch to Edge.

A Verge reporter and a Windows and Chrome (and occasionally Edge) user described the ordeal, the gist of which is that the tabs left open in their default Chrome browser got imported to Edge after a Windows update and a reboot.

No surprise that the user was not prompted to consent to any of this. Here’s the Windows/Edge experience summed up in one sentence: “I didn’t even realize I was using Edge at first, and I was confused why all my (imported from Chrome) tabs were suddenly logged out.”

And sure enough, the option at edge://settings/profiles/importBrowsingData was set to disable automatic access to “recent browsing data” i.e., the Borg-like assimilation of open Chrome tabs by Edge.

But resistance is certainly not futile: use open-source operating systems and browsers, and root (deepest-level permissions access/decision-making) is all yours.

Meanwhile, those (re)installing Windows these days will, at that stage, learn something about why the browser kerfuffle is happening.

Reads an installation prompt:

“With your confirmation, Microsoft Edge will regularly bring in data from other browsers available on your Windows device. This data includes your favorites, browsing history, cookies, autofill data, extensions, settings, and other browsing data.”

With your confirmation – or, as users are reporting, without it. It’s Microsoft after all, and the tech dinosaur felt no urgency in responding to relevant media queries.

 

[Sexy Senior Citizen]

Obligatory "Let Them Fight" post.

 

[Lone MacReady II]

Microshaft sludge can't be uninstalled now. Kikes always forcing things on you, but it's blatant now, mask off completely. When I try to uninstall shitty edge, it only allows you to "edit" it, and it updates and even runs routinely when I don't want it too. If anyone knows how to get this cancerous kikeware off your system I'd love the program.

 

[Margo Martindale]

didnt Microsoft get hit with an antitrust suit regarding internet explorer little over a decade ago? Did they not learn anything from this? What they are doing now with edge is much worse than what they were doing with internet explorer back then

 

[The Connected Nose]

didnt Microsoft get hit with an antitrust suit regarding internet explorer little over a decade ago? Did they not learn anything from this? What they are doing now with edge is much worse than what they were doing with internet explorer back then

They learned you don't fuck the consumer over unless you have the full blessing of the government. And since Edge likely sends all that data straight to Langley/Quantico, it's all kosher and nothing will be done about it.

 

[The Backwards Man]

Did they not learn anything from this?

They learnt they just had to be a little more sneaky.

 

[Celebrate Nite]

Microshaft sludge can't be uninstalled now. Kikes always forcing things on you, but it's blatant now, mask off completely. When I try to uninstall shitty edge, it only allows you to "edit" it, and it updates and even runs routinely when I don't want it too. If anyone knows how to get this cancerous kikeware off your system I'd love the program.
View attachment 5691472

Try this

https://winaerotweaker.com/

Worst case scenario, you might not be able to get rid of it, but you can prevent it from always opening at boot. You can also permanently disable updates so your shit doesn't get fucked with again.

I have this installed and used it on a shitty Win10 laptop and it takes like a fingersnap for it to get to the login screen when you turn on the computer, that's how better the performance is.

 

[ZMOT]

Microshaft sludge can't be uninstalled now. Kikes always forcing things on you, but it's blatant now, mask off completely. When I try to uninstall shitty edge, it only allows you to "edit" it, and it updates and even runs routinely when I don't want it too. If anyone knows how to get this cancerous kikeware off your system I'd love the program.
View attachment 5691472

that has been the case for years now.
besides, you're not uninstalling it, you're just removing it from our profile - it's still on the machine and available to software which requires it.

to get rid of it for good you have to use powershell (but remember, terminal is scary and winfags are so much more enlightened having a GUI) or some third-party software which most of the time is closed source, so you don't have any idea what it really does either.

 

[Elwood P. Dowd]

didnt Microsoft get hit with an antitrust suit regarding internet explorer little over a decade ago? Did they not learn anything from this? What they are doing now with edge is much worse than what they were doing with internet explorer back then

I think the difference is that Internet Explorer was the most popular browser at that point, while Edge is basically a rounding error.

 

[General Emílio Médici]

This is why I am such a Linux autist.

The worst part is that not only do so many normies tolerate this shit because of how lazy they are, but even if they don't and switch to Linux MS is still gonna do it and keep making money because their business model has long since moved away from actually providing software for end users and instead they now make their money by straight up holding enterprise and business customers hostage on their ecosystem.

Office Drones make average normie PC users look good, and to get them to learn even the most basic of new things on windows is a fucking trial. Never mind switching OS. Then to make it worse even if they did the entire ecosystem of Teams/Office/Outlook is pretty much locked in place and you will just not be allowed to move from it without way too much hassle and cost and headache for a business to even consider.

Absolutely disgusting shit.

 

[pikachudidnothingwrong]

I hope they both fight and kill each other.

 

[Overly Serious]

Does it import data only from literal Chrome or does it do it from any Chrome-based browsers you have installed, e.g. does it read what tabs you have open in Brave?

 

[DiggieSmalls]

Another day where i see more evidence that it was a good choice to switch to linux.

 

[Celebrate Nite]

Office Drones make average normie PC users look good, and to get them to learn even the most basic of new things on windows is a fucking trial. Never mind switching OS. Then to make it worse even if they did the entire ecosystem of Teams/Office/Outlook is pretty much locked in place and you will just not be allowed to move from it without way too much hassle and cost and headache for a business to even consider.

Sometimes the problem is that the owner of said office/business doesn't WANT to switch and is content with the same old way of doing things for like decades.

I've worked in places that even though had a Win10 ecosystem were STILL using old-ass WinXP/7 Internet Explorer for their web-based system because Firefox/Chrome makes said web system completely useless.

The time to change their systems were a VERY long time ago, and because these suits and CEO's are stubborn and don't want to use their brains for once, they will soon suffer the consequences of their actions (if they aren't already doing it).

 

[Super Hans v2]

didnt Microsoft get hit with an antitrust suit regarding internet explorer little over a decade ago? Did they not learn anything from this? What they are doing now with edge is much worse than what they were doing with internet explorer back then

That was the cover reason for the antitrust suit, but the real one was that until after the trial Microsoft didn't have a lobbying department. That was billions each year that cocksuckers in the government were missing out on.

 

[Fagnacious D]

The article's title is too long. Let me fix that:

Microsoft Edge Sucks

 

[Sweeter and Savoury]

Microsoft hoovering up personal data without permission?

You don't say! Must be a day ending in Y

 

[TowinKarz]

didnt Microsoft get hit with an antitrust suit regarding internet explorer little over a decade ago? Did they not learn anything from this? What they are doing now with edge is much worse than what they were doing with internet explorer back then

To be fair, that was before excessive data harvesting became and issue, and the suit itself was laughable.

The fact your copy of Windows came bundled with Explorer that you were under no obligation to use and could delete it and install a browser of your choice without any penalty was such a weak argument of antitrust violation that I'm still surprised it worked, and further surprised it's never been dusted off again as a precedent to go after social media.

Well, until you realize they only targeted Microsoft because they hadn't yet become a keystone in the Government's ability to surveil it's citizens by sidestepping the 5th Amendment with "private company just doing us some favors Bro!"

 

[Vect]

The future is gonna to be everyone scrambling for 80s vintage Toshibas and watching YouTube in monochromatic 16 pixels.

 

[DickSanchez]

Yeah... no... fuck that noise! For some stupid reason born of curiosity I decided to install Edge and it automatically installed the extensions I use in Chrome. When I asked the bing chat how edge knew what extensions I was using it gave me the run around and then terminated the conversation. That shit got uninstalled quickly! I'll just continue using gpt4all and let it eat 16gb of my memory.

TBH chrome is already a major risk to be using and should not even be installed, but at least it pretends to behave like it doesn't monitor what you're doing. Edge doesn't seem to give a shit, it walks right in, gives you the finger and does whatever the fuck it wants.