Chrome, Opera, Vivaldi, Waterfox and Wavebox join hands to fight against Microsoft Edge
Chrome, Opera, Vivaldi, Waterfox and Wavebox join hands to fight against Microsoft Edge have created the Browser Choice Alliance. The group has called the European Commission to list Microsoft Edge as a gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Meet the Browser Choice Alliance
Google, Opera, Vivaldi, BrowserWorks (Waterfox) and Wavebox (a premium, ad-free browser), have formed an alliance to highlight the problems associated with how Microsoft promotes its Edge browser on Windows PCs.
One of these is not like the others, what are you doing here, Google? Chrome surely has a dominant share in the market, why is Google participating in this group? Parisa Tabriz, VP and GM, Google Chrome Browser, wrote that Google is proud of the group that advocates consumer choice, and that a user's choice to download and use a browser should be respected. Well, that is fair, but the DoJ might be laughing in the background. Opera, Vivaldi, Wavebox, and Waterfox released statements about the group's formation, which you can read here.
Apple Safari is not available on Windows, so it's obvious why it is not a part of the group. But, it is unclear why Brave Browser, Mozilla Firefox, and others are not part of the Browser Choice Alliance. The press release from the group indicates that there are other companies who share the concerns, but did not want to make their views public due to fear of retaliation from Microsoft, either directly or indirectly.
Browser makers want EU to designate Microsoft Edge as a Gatekeeper
What does the Browser Choice Alliance aim to achieve? Microsoft Windows is used by over 73% of computer users around the world, that's according to StatCounter. The members of the Browser Choice Alliance allege that Microsoft creates dark patterns, technical roadblocks and deception, to prevent users from setting a third-party browser as their default option on Windows PCs. First time, guys?
The Browser Choice Alliance's website illustrates the various anti-competitive practices that Microsoft has in place to promote Edge. The group argues that fair competition among browsers is essential, and that browsers play a crucial role in education and enterprise environments.
Microsoft's tactics to prevent users from changing the default browser on Windows 11 start with a banner displayed on Bing (the default search engine) in Microsoft Edge. When you search for a third party browser, you may come across a message that says, "There is no need to download a new web browser." The message also highlights the features of Microsoft Edge, in a bid to dissuade the user from downloading the browser that they wanted.
Jon von Tetzchner, CEO and Co-founder of Vivaldi, wrote an open letter to the EU expressing concerns about Microsoft's anti-competitive practices. He had also criticized the Redmond company's practices in 2021. Opera had filed an appeal to the EU in July 2024, arguing against the European Commission’s decision not to designate Microsoft Edge as a gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act. Microsoft Defender SmartScreen may also display misleading pop-up screens, warnings when a third party browser is downloaded.
(Image courtesy: Browser Choice Alliance)
Today, I ran multiple searches on Bing to check whether these banners still show up when looking up other browsers, and they do. While queries for Vivaldi, Opera, Waterfox and Wavebox did not result in the banner, searching for Google Chrome, Firefox, Arc Browser showed a message as seen in the screenshot below. Oddly, searching for the word browser does seem to promote Opera browser. Maybe Opera just bought some ad space, that's kinda weird though?
The DoJ's antitrust lawsuit against Google saw executives from other search engine makers testify that most users did not change the default search engine in their browser, because they did not know how to, or because the option to modify it was buried deep in the settings. If that's the case for a search engine, changing the default browser is hard too, right? The group says that these shenanigans affect the web ecosystem itself. That's kind of the reason why the DoJ wants Google to sell Chrome, this highlights how a monopoly can rule the market unfairly.
Back on topic, changing the default browser in Windows 11 is a bit confusing. One would assume that setting an app as the default would make it the go-to app for handling all web protocols, but it's not that simple, you have to change it for each type.
The Browser Choice Alliance also argues that Microsoft frequently tries to default browser to Edge via updates, and forces links from apps like Teams or Outlook to open in Microsoft Edge. Windows may also display a pop-up to coax the user to use recommended settings, as in switch to Edge. Microsoft Edge has resorted to more trickery, it may try to import tabs from your browser.
All of these shady tactics harm third party browsers, and give Microsoft Edge an unfair advantage in the browser wars. That is what the Browser Choice Alliance aims to address, whether they will succeed or not, will depend on antitrust regulators.
idk why the companies always want the help from the government, if people aren’t using the software it’s because it sucks.
What makes edge stick out from the crowd is its build in copilot feature, text to audio feature, and super duper secure mode which makes it the most secure browser for PC hands down; plus its customizability; the problems are as noted in this article; also forcing users to use bing; the telemetry requires significant user intervention to minimize telemetry down to a minimum, if any at all; best done using group policy
I think I may have finally figured out how to stop Edge from changing the default search engine back to Bing; you need to use group policy and disable BITS by setting its bandwidth limit to ZERO. Bits downloads constant updates for edge in the background every 60 minutes, these may be forcing the browser to use bing. Since I’ve done this, so far the problem finally disappeared.
Why is there a chart showing OS market share in an article about browsers?
A quick look at the right stats tells an entirely different story.
https://gs.statcounter.com/browser-market-share
If Microsoft Edge was a good browsee, I’d use it. But they’re not.
I have Firefox and Edge installed on my Windows PC, and from time to time when I open Edge for testing, I get a message asking to set it as the default browser, with no option to set it to “Never ask again”.
My parents and cousins in Poland have the same issues as here in Brazil
First time I’m reading about Wavebox
Funny consumer choice should be respected but the only choice they are given are based on Google binded chromium with all it’s fun and restrictions made to be more Prohibitive for the user yet more sharing for the ad companies
Edge uses less CPU, but it becomes passable as default browser after switching from Bing the trash search engine.
‘Bing Videos’ being a +1 link that keeps me from reaching Youtube makes me hate it extra.
*chrome chromium chromium and firefox
What about Brave? They are independent, as they say themselves. Could it be that they have some sort of arrangement with Microsoft?
Good question! I was scratching my head a bit at that and found nothing so far when poking around. The only close “equivalent” is that Brave had partnered with Microsoft to offer Bing as a search engine option within its browser, but that may not be entirely relevant to the question.
Make one wonder what Brave had to do to get that sweet Facebook money.
@Peter Parker Kent
Do you even know how to use the internet?
Brave never partnered with Bing/Microsoft for nothing, Brave (company) when they released the Brave Search, they paid for the Bing API for few % of searches, Brave in a blog post said “about 13% of the queries required the help of third parties to achieve the desired level of quality across various types of queries”.
It was in April 2023, when Brave Search pulled the plug on 3rd party = Bing API and went fully independent, which is why for many months Brave Search didn’t have images or videos tab.
They pulled the plug on Bing API because Microsoft increased the price to a ridiculous amount and Brave didn’t want to pay for it.
Brave just doesn’t involve in clown shows of dumb pathetic companies and their browsers ‘teaming up’ with Google, to create some fake fight against Microsoft Edge, which is a perfectly fine browser that should be part of Microsoft products, it takes 3 seconds to switch it, you don’t even need Edge to download a browser, anyone on windows can easily use Winget.
Just like you get Chrome or Samsung or whatever in Android and you get Safari in Apple and you can easily switch it… if people use it, then let people keep using it without dumb EU forcing companies to display some stupid popup or something, if people can’t deal with downloading browsers by their own, well, maybe they shouldn’t use technology and move on.
But just to showcase the dumb circus and hypocrisy of the clown companies ‘joining’: Vivaldi gets money from Bing, and they even have Bing whitelisted as default for their adblocker with the ‘partners list’, Google gives money to Firefox, tons of money and of course, Waterfox also got in a search deal with Microsoft years agp, and let’s not forget Opera, the only Browser in current era that doesn’t even let you have an added search engine as Default because all they want is the user to use ‘partners’ search engines, because they will get money for every search.
So we have either hypocrites or clown hypocrites, so, why should Brave join this pathetic circus?
Brave doesn’t need to join this. I am fine with Brave just focusing in developing their OPEN SOURCE browser, becaue from the list only Firefox is open source (and still alive thanks to Google’s money), especially when they had to reduce some workforce and you can see less employes trying to bring some innovation like Adblocker getting procedural cosmetics, and they are working on Developer Mode, which will let you add scriptlets easily and injecting Javascript code = endless possibilities, Only uBlock Origin and Brave allows to add your own scriptlets, but Brave is making it easier.
Also Brave added today a way to add your own URL for your self hosted sync chain, BYOM keeps improving with support for local non-https IPs. They are also working in “Brave Account” for people who wants that and manage all their subscriptions and sync with an email and password, and they are trying to tweak the UI. Brave also recently added fingerprinting per site, not per window, so the farbling will be different on every site making everyone completely unique and thererfore not being fingerprintable as easy.
So yeah… People should stop making stuff up seriously… and again, why should Brave join this if this will not help Brave’s development and independence? Brave should stay away from these hypocrites and focus on improving Brave, not making dumb fights when their marketshare is increasing month by month, now with 70 million people, while others either stay the same or go lower. Of course, Brave using Chrome’s UA because of compatibility is not making it easy to know Chrome’s real marketshare, but it is what it is.
@Loli Goth
“Google gives money to Firefox, tons of money”
“becaue from the list only Firefox is open source (and still alive thanks to Google’s money)”
Are you saying Firefox gets money from Google? They say if you repeat it three times the ghost of Internet Explorer appears and violates your TOS.
@Loli Goth I actually appreciate you doing the research. Your efforts genuinely did contribute to my understanding of Brave’s involvement with Microsoft. I say this without any degree of sarcasm.
What is it with Brave fanboys and text walls?
Microsoft will fail trying to force users to use Edge. That never works in a product that is trying to gain market share. Other browsers may simply not offer a product that most users even want and Chrome’s dominance simply proves they have managed to keep users from straying to other options. If you want to talk restricting competition in browsers try looking at Chrome OS that truly by design tries to prevent any other browser from running on that OS.
The mistake Google made, was not using all the anti-competitive tactics at their disposal ten years ago to drive Microsoft out of the web browser market completely. E.g. Permanently blocking Youtube on Internet Explorer/Edge. Back then, Google could have blocked Microsoft browsers from using Google online services and just pointed at Firefox, which used to be a very healthy product, while saying “See? Chrome isn’t a monopoly, because Firefox has +30% of the market!”
Maybe the regulators would have eventually gone after Google, but is that any different from the predicament Google is in right now? Nope! It’s too late for Google at this point. Chrome market share is eroding, and the regulators are after them now anyway.
I have no love for Microsoft and what they did with Internet Explorer, and what they will do if the US hands Chrome over to them. If the US starts breaking Google up, Microsoft will pick up the pieces.
As for Mozilla, they screwed up when they were at their high point, and began wasting lots of money chasing fads instead of investing wisely to secure their own future/independence from Google and preparing for the inevitable day when things got difficult for them (i.e. now). Creating a competitor to Android? What were they thinking? Ha-ha-ha. Microsoft couldn’t even do that.
Today they’re chasing the AI fad, which is a bubble that will soon pop.
Agreed, Brave is smart enough to not chase AI.
https://www.ghacks.net/2024/11/22/brave-search-introduces-ai-follow-up-questions-here-is-how-it-works/
@Mike.
Agree that Mozilla Foundation was investing in a bunch of irrelevant products. I do not know if any of them gain enough traction to become viable. They also spend a lot of “social” programs that only repulse customers. As for AI. Everybody is chasing this dragon now. But like with usual bubble, I believe there will be very few commercial winners, just like with blockchain (Bitcoin and 2-3 smaller coin systems which are used mostly for generation of hype or meme coins). Everybody else go bust or join forces for one open source AI.
@boris
They also spend a lot of “social” programs that only repulse customers.
1388 customers?
I did the unthinkable the other day: Someone was looking to buy a new laptop and asked me if they should buy one with Windows 11 Home or Pro. I answered: Windows 11 is horrible shit, buy a Macbook. I have hated Apple forever, but here we are. I can’t recommend that garbage to anyone.
Very nice recommendation. I would do it too.
Edge is completely better than all browsers currently available for the internet market. This is the best complete and unavoidable truth, so if you like to hear nonsense or reading such the stupid reasons from the massive idiocracy establishment that you know (yes, you know) then go to the cinema to see Wicked. And please, enjoy wednesdays, they are so glorious as you can afford.
If Microsoft Edge is the best browser, then Microsoft will have no issue competing on merit, instead of using anticompetitive hurdles and abusing their dominant position on desktop.
In addition, Edge may be the “best browser” for you, but it certainly isn’t for a lot of other people – including myself – who previously used Microsoft browsers for over 25 years before they went off-the-rails and wrecked Chromium Edge.
@Bradley
You said “In addition, Edge may be the “best browser” for you, but it certainly isn’t for a lot of other people – including myself – who previously used Microsoft browsers for over 25 years before they went off-the-rails and wrecked Chromium Edge.”
Browser Choice is already available. For those who don’t know how, just “google it”.
However, please list exactly how MS “wrecked” Chromium Edge. I’m confused and sincerely want to know what Chromium functionality I’m missing out on
.
@Bradley
To be honest, when did Microsoft or any other company did not abuse their dominant position in their respective industry if left unchecked? It is the nature of the beast. Beast is always hungry. You just have to know that no corporation or non-profit that has pricing or any market share power is your bro or your supporter. It is dog eats dog in big business.
8bit, you are thinking out of context.
Right now chrome (google) needs all the friends and goodwil it can get.
Because there is a real risk, since judges and politicians are poor judges of tech, that alphabet/google will be ordered to let go of Chrome.
And there is one big as mofo that is salivating like the scifi alien at the opportunity to be the one to take it over or otherwise fill that power vacuum if that happens. To get back to the “good ole monopoly times” when Explorer was the dominant thing.
Frankly, the EU is the only likely place to get some support that also has enough collective influence for it to matter. They’ve lost the case in the US (it will be appealed) and they have not much presence in china where national apps rule. That leaves EU and independents and they are not betting on India to see things their way, with Indian nationalism trends tending to towards building some hybrid between the chinese and EU way.
I think their play, asking for Edge to get the same scrutiny as Chrome, with the EU is correct. It should probably be treated harded, but people are forgetful and probably need some reminders of the Explorer years, to go, oh yeah, thats why everyone was running away, first to firefox and then Chrome.
Silly games and poor choice.
At the end it is Google versus Microsoft and EU versus US or governments versus citizens or autoritarian versus free choice. The normal people and many a national politics does not have a say at all in this affairs.
That alone is sad….
Chrome is rebeling against Edge? Huh?
It’s like Jason Voorhees calling Michael Myers murderer…