Microsoft Copilot to hijack your browser... for your own convenience

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. Tabs that are opened 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 and steering the user away from whatever browser is their default is where this is going. 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. Vivaldi's Technical Communications Officer, Bruce Lawson, told us, "If it's not opt-in, then it's bad behaviour: 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 roll-out to all Insider Channels will be gradual (Vivaldi told us it had yet to see the build). The Copilot App is also being tweaked elsewhere. Microsoft stated, "As part of this update, some features like Podcasts and Study and Learn mode from Copilot.com are getting added, while others may be pulled back while we iterate on the experience; we will add priority features back in before the updated app is generally available." For Copilot App users, opening web links alongside conversations is perhaps a useful feature. However, for browser vendors already dealing with Microsoft's habit of pushing its own way of doing things, the update could be seen as another way to keep a user safely within Redmond's purview. The Reg doubts some of our readers will approve either. ®