How Microsoft Boosts Privacy in Chromium Microsoft Edge Browser

[The AchieVer]

How Microsoft Boosts Privacy in Chromium Microsoft Edge Browser 

 

The new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge is rapidly evolving, and after going live as a preview on Windows 10, it’s now up for grabs on macOS as well.

 

Since it’s still a work in progress, Microsoft Edge is always improving, and one of the areas where Microsoft is particularly focused on is privacy.

At the Build developer conference this week, Microsoft provided us with a quick glimpse into how the company wants to give users full control over their privacy in Microsoft Edge browser.

Basically, what the software wants to do is make it easier for users to choose the right settings for them, especially because “it’s too hard to understand how your data is being used by sites across the web,” as the company itself explains.

“You don’t feel in control of your own data when browsing,” Microsoft continues, adding that it decided to build a privacy dashboard for Microsoft Edge to make the whole thing easier.

Keep in mind that this dashboard is still in its early days, so further refinements could be implemented in the coming updates as Microsoft continues improving the browser.

 

 

 

It all starts in the Settings screen of Microsoft Edge browser (Microsoft Edge menu > Settings > Privacy and security).

This dashboard will provide three different pre-defined privacy levels, as it follows:
 

Unrestricted	Blocks malicious trackers Allows trackers, even from sites you have not visited You’ll see personalized ads based on other sites you’ve visited Sites will function correctly
Balanced	Blocks malicious trackers Blocks potential trackers from sites you have not visited You’ll see fewer ads based on other sites you’ve visited Sites will function correctly
Strict	Blocks malicious trackers Blocks all potential trackers You’ll see minimal ads based on other sites you’ve visited Will break some sites

Users can choose any of the three by simply clicking the Select button at the location mentioned above. They will also be allowed to configure exceptions and access allowed and blocked trackers.

Needless to say, users should carefully choose the desired level, especially because blocking all trackers could eventually break down site functionality. The balanced level is the one that’s the most recommended, albeit power users might decide to configure tracker protection on their own.

Whenever a new page is loaded, users can access site and tracker information by clicking the lock icon in the address bar, just before the domain address.

The popup displays whether connection is secure or not, as well as the tracker prevention level that is configured for the site – users can also choose different settings from a drop-down menu here, with the same pre-defined levels as mentioned above.

Additionally, the same popup shows the number of trackers blocked and allowed, as well as certificate information, cookies, and site permissions. Everything can be further configured from this screen.
 

 

 

All these privacy controls are still in their early days, and Microsoft says it’ll continue improving them based on feedback from users.

“We’re in the early stages of exploring how best to empower users to be in control of your data and beginning conversations with industry partners and the browser community. We look forward to hearing your feedback on the concepts we shared, and we’re excited to share more in preview builds later on.”

These options will be offered to users regardless of the platform they are running, so the same privacy controls should be available on Windows and macOS. Both Windows 10 and previous Windows versions would get them.

You can download the latest version of Microsoft Edge (still in preview) from Softpedia using this link. The Mac version of Microsoft Edge is available here.

 

 

Source