Microsoft's Copilot Update Raises Browser Competition Concerns

Microsoft is rolling out a Copilot update to Windows Insiders that embeds web browsing directly into the assistant, opening links in a side panel rather than launching your default browser. The plan is that users of the Copilot app in Windows will show content in the assistant's window "so you don't lose context." Copilot will also (with permission) have access to the context of tabs opened in that conversation, so the assistant can look across them when responding to user prompts. Opened tabs will be saved with the conversation so that they can be returned to, and, if a user chooses to enable it, passwords and form data can be synchronized.

Enabling password and form data synchronization might give some users pause for thought, particularly after the Windows Recall fiasco, but users worried about Redmond slurping data should probably consider an alternative to Windows anyway.

At first glance, it looks like embedding Edge into Copilot via the WebView2 control is an attempt to steer the user away from their default browser. Convenient, yes. Good for competition, possibly not. We asked Microsoft whether this would be an opt-in experience and which browser was being used, but, other than acknowledging receipt of our questions, the company did not respond.

The update has raised a few eyebrows among browser vendors. Bruce Lawson, Vivaldi's Technical Communications Officer, told us: "If it's not opt-in, then it's bad behavior. Over the last 25 years, people have become accustomed to clicking links, and that opens their default browser with their preferred settings, stored passwords, preferred font size, and preferred security settings. "Pulling that rug from under users' feet is impertinent and discourteous. Whether it circumvents DMA or other competition regulations is for lawyers and regulators to decide, but the eternal arrogance of gatekeepers is self-evident."

The update is currently a preview and therefore subject to change. The rollout to all Insider Channels will be gradual (Vivaldi told us it had yet to see the build).

For Copilot app users, opening web links alongside conversations is perhaps a useful feature. However, for browser vendors already dealing with Microsoft's preferred way of doing things, the update could be seen as another attempt to keep a user safely within Redmond's purview. The Reg doubts some of our readers will approve either. ®