Microsoft set to fix issues of Edge leaking URLs to Bing

Image credit : Search Engine Land Before typing anything into Microsoft's Edge browser, you might want to think again because a recent update to Redmond's Chromium clone appears to have a problem that sends URLs you visit back to the Bing API. The problem, which was discovered by Redditor HackerMcHackface last week on the r/browsers forum, appears to be connected to Edge's opt-out Collections content aggregation tool, which recommends online creators that users may want to follow. The default behavior had altered, the Redditor notes, starting with Microsoft Edge build 112.0.1722.34. They pointed out that the "feature" was only available on a select few social media platforms in earlier iterations of Edge, such as YouTube and Pinterest. The breadth now seems to be more expansive. As far as we can understand, it operated something as follows: when a page was whitelisted, the URL would be submitted to the Bing API to assess whether or not a recommendation popup should be displayed in the browser. The user's address bar would display this suggestion. The material from that author would then be added to and curated in Edge's Collections feature if the user clicks through the popup. [caption id="attachment_81800" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Image: Microsoft[/caption] However, beginning of the April 7 version of Edge, according to HackerMcHackface's research, all URLs entered into the address bar appear to be submitted to the Bing API, allowing Microsoft to track Edge users' online activities if it so desired. A Microsoft spokeswoman responded to inquiries by The Register by saying the company was "aware of reports, are investigating, and will take appropriate action to address any issues." The flaw was not independently verified by The Register. Rafael Rivera, the feature's developer, told The Verge that it was poorly built and didn't seem to be working well. Also read : Microsoft Edge Browser Exposes URLs to Bing, Raising Privacy Concerns By going to the "Privacy, search, and services" tab on the "Settings" page and unticking "Show suggestions to follow creators in Microsoft Edge" near the bottom of the page, you can disable the functionality if you're concerned about Edge sending Bing information about every page you visit. However, you could always use a different browser if you're really concerned. Although Microsoft Edge provides a wide range of privacy toggles, it hasn't always had the best reputation for user privacy. Professor Douglas Leith of Trinity College discovered that Edge was one of the most intrusive browsers available in a 2020 paper, in part because of the use of hardware identifiers. However, Edge is far from the only browser to experience a privacy or security-related flaw recently. Google patched Chrome earlier this month in response to a zero-day vulnerability that could be used to take control of a user's device. Just the other day, it patched another zero-day vulnerability.