The Alliance of Browser Choice This is a new association created specifically against Microsoft Edge, or more precisely against the anti-competitive methods that, in the opinion of its members, Microsoft uses to promote the adoption of its browser by exploiting the Windows monopoly.

The organization is made up of Chrome, Opera, Vivaldi, Waterfox and Wavebox and is specifically asking the European Union for something that providers like Opera already have in court, which includes Microsoft Edge as digital markets law enforcement officer (DMA).

Alliance of Browser Choice

You already know that the European Water Framework Directive is a recent piece of legislation that aims to “ensure a fair and open digital market”prevents large technology companies from exploiting their dominant position for their own benefit and thus competition is stimulated and alternatives from other smaller companies are favored.

It must be said that ALL big tech, each in their sector and in one way or another they have been using their dominant position since time immemorial. And here Google is part of its search or Android service; on Apple with the App Store; meta in social networks; on Amazon for e-books or for its e-commerce platform and long, long, etc. Next on the list is of course Microsoft with Windows, Office or its browser.

The Alliance of Browser Choice puts Microsoft Edge on target. And this is not because of its market share (which is very low compared to the leader Chrome), but because of highlighting the problems associated with the way Microsoft promotes its browser on Windows computers. If you can compare Google’s presence with its high share, it may also be surprising that others (more affected) like Mozilla Firefox are not included.

Microsoft tactics

From the new association, they remember that Windows is the leading desktop operating system with more than 70% of the global market share. “This power allowed Microsoft to limit the ability of rival software to compete on Windows by creating misleading restrictions on competitors.”they comment.

They also draw attention to techniques that Microsoft uses and which we have seen here for years: “dark patterns, technical barriers and fraud that prevent consumers from accessing or setting their desired browser as their default”. To put it plainly, “dirty game” that includes:

• Create barriers to download another browser.
• Change users’ default settings to Edge during regular updates.
• Force links in Microsoft’s own services (Teams/Outlook, etc.) to open in Edge or Bing.
• Forced browser selection messages that prompt users “reset browser settings recommended by Microsoft”.
• Using Microsoft Defender SmartScreen antivirus to display misleading pop-up screens, warnings when downloading a third-party browser.
• Artificially complicate browser switching by separating all web protocols.

It is not certain that the European Union will change its mind and include Microsoft Edge as a guardian of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Self-regulation to prevent conflicts would have been more desirable, but Microsoft had plenty of time and did not respond to any demand from competitors. We’ll see.