Academic research proved Edge is the least private browser you can use — worse than Chrome. It sends a permanent hardware ID to Microsoft that you can't disable, even if you reinstall. It starts tracking before you've agreed to anything. Every letter you type in Edge's address bar goes straight to Microsoft. They were also caught sending every URL you visit to Bing through a 'Follow Creator' feature most people didn't know existed. Microsoft called it a bug. It was the design.
What they claim: Edge's address bar helps you 'search and navigate the web quickly'
What we found: Every keystroke typed in Edge's address bar is sent to Bing in real time by default. The Follow Creator feature was caught sending the FULL URL of almost every website visited to bingapis.com without consent. Microsoft acknowledged this as a 'bug' in a 'poorly implemented' feature — but the feature was designed to send URLs to Bing by default.
What they claim: Edge's Shopping feature helps you 'save money with built-in coupons and price comparisons'
What we found: Microsoft's own documentation states 'when you use Shopping in Microsoft Edge, you agree to let Microsoft track your activities online.' The feature — enabled by default — tracks product views, price comparisons, coupon usage, and cashback transactions. Your browser has been turned from a neutral tool into a commercial surveillance platform.
What they claim: Microsoft positions Edge as a secure choice backed by enterprise-grade security
What we found: Microsoft was the first PRISM participant (2007). Edge's telemetry data flows through Microsoft's infrastructure, subject to the same surveillance access. 31% of US legal demands to Microsoft in H1 2025 came with secrecy orders — 1,974 gag orders meaning users were never told their data was demanded.
What they claim: Edge's Copilot AI integration is presented as a helpful browsing assistant
What we found: Copilot ingests your browsing history, search queries, frequently visited sites, reading patterns, and page content. It takes screenshots of pages, retained for 30 days. Cross-product data sharing is enabled by default — your browsing feeds into Copilot's profile of you across Edge, Bing, MSN, Outlook, and Teams. Prompt injection attacks can trick Copilot into performing unintended actions using your browsing context.
What they claim: Microsoft Edge claims to be 'the best browser for Windows' with 'built-in privacy features'
What we found: Trinity College Dublin research ranked Edge as the LEAST PRIVATE major browser — worse than Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Brave. Edge sends a persistent hardware UUID to Microsoft that cannot be disabled or reset. It phones home on first launch before any user consent. It was ranked alongside Yandex (Russian) in the worst privacy tier.
What they claim: Edge is described as 'an essential component of Windows' that 'can't be uninstalled'
What we found: The Uninstall button is grayed out on Windows 10/11. Edge reinstalls itself after forced command-line removal. Windows updates re-enable Edge and reset default browser associations. Clicking links in Windows widgets, Outlook, MSN, and Start Menu ALWAYS opens Edge regardless of your default browser setting. EU DMA required allowing uninstallation but Microsoft only partially complied 15 months after the deadline.
What they claim: Edge offers InPrivate browsing for 'private' web sessions
What we found: Microsoft's own privacy whitepaper confirms that diagnostic data is STILL collected during InPrivate browsing sessions. The hardware UUID that Edge sends to Microsoft persists across InPrivate sessions. 'Private' browsing in Edge is private from other users of your device — not from Microsoft.