Technology Miraj Islam October 12, 2026 0 Comments

Are you trying to change your browser? It may be more difficult than you think, based on one simple detail

Mozilla accused Microsoft of using Windows, Edge, Bing and Copilot to direct users to Edge
Firefox maker says stricter EU regulations mean choosing a fairer browser than elsewhere
Browser competition increasingly overlaps with the fight for AI distribution and user reach.

Mozilla has accused Microsoft of abusing its dominant position whenever it can to push people toward Edge and away from other browsers.

The company framed the story as if it wanted “better for the people,” while Microsoft only does it when it is forced to, but is that really the case?

In a recently published blog, Mozilla noted that it’s been 100 days since it published Over The Edge 2.0, a report from “leading deceptive design experts Dr. Harry Brignull and Cennydd Bowles on how Windows, Edge, Bing and Copilot are designed to steer people away from the browser they choose.”

Better for the people

In the report, Mozilla said that in the European Economic Area (EEA), where the Digital Market Laws (DMA) apply, Microsoft is forced to “play fair.”

Everywhere else in the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, India and other parts of the planet, he still uses his “shady tactics.” These include Windows 10’s “You’re almost done setting up your PC” message, which supposedly uses “complicated wording” to get people off the default they chose, Windows Search and Widgets opening links in Edge instead of the default browser, and Windows keeping Edge as the default for common browser file types like PDF and SVG, even after another browser has been set as the default.

Mozilla claims that even within the EU, Microsoft is doing everything it can to drive people towards Edge. That includes pre-pinning the browser to the taskbar, which the company says “appears to directly violate the ‘principled approach to pinning apps and app defaults,’ Copilot opens web links in a side panel rather than in the browser, and Windows Backup “silently” tries to set Edge as the default when restoring a PC and “fails to properly pin the user’s own browser.”

“Most of the 2024 patterns are still there. The 2026 patterns are worse. Microsoft is using new surfaces like Copilot and the migration to Windows 11 to further undermine user options,” Mozilla says.

“We also shared the report with Microsoft and spoke with them about the issues raised in the report. We knew that an immediate change was unlikely, but we hoped that when faced with independent evidence of harmful design practices affecting Windows users, they would also want something better for people,” Mozilla said.

“Instead, it became clear that Microsoft will respect user choice only when it is forced to do so. Microsoft’s standard for respecting people’s choices is legal compliance. Not what is best for its users. It is not what is best for its users. It is not what is technically feasible. Not even what it already does for users in Europe.”

A story about AI

Mozilla said it shared the report with Microsoft but did not say whether the company responded in any way. We’ve reached out to Microsoft for comment and will update this article when we hear back.

In the meantime, we think it’s also important to mention what Mozilla said in the blog introduction:

“As AI reshapes our online experiences, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Browsers are a key delivery layer for AI tools and services, while also determining many of the privacy and security capabilities that people rely on every day. Therefore, guiding people toward a browser can determine which AI services reach users and the protections that come with it.”

So the question is: is it really about wanting something better for people or wanting people to use one AI model instead of another? If demanding equal opportunity in the browser is fair game, then demanding equal opportunity in AI is too, so why not just say it? Why hide behind supposed altruistic causes and principles?

In the blog, Mozilla says it has a “simple” request: expand the “fairer designs” currently applied in the EEA across the planet and “stop harmful design practices that persist in the EEA.”

The company concluded the blog by saying that there will be no more Mr. Nice Guy. He says he “intensified” public pressure on the company and reached out to regulators and policymakers.

“We hope regulators in the US, UK, India and Brazil are paying attention.”