If you’ve ever tried switching your default browser on Windows and felt like the operating system was fighting you — you weren’t imagining it. A fresh report has confirmed that Microsoft treats Indian users very differently from users in Europe, and the gap hasn’t closed in two years.
Mozilla commissioned deceptive-design researchers Dr. Harry Brignull and Cennydd Bowles to revisit their 2024 study. Their new report, Over The Edge 2.0, says Microsoft still nudges people toward Edge, Bing, and Copilot — and in India, almost every trick from the first report is still active.
Table of Contents
What Mozilla Researchers Found
| Practice | Status in India | Status in EEA (EU) |
|---|---|---|
| Windows Search/Widgets open links in Edge regardless of default browser | Still active | Largely fixed |
| Edge injects a banner on Chrome’s download page | Still active | Reduced |
| Windows Backup drops browser preference on Windows 10 → 11 upgrade | Still active | Improved |
| Copilot forces links into an Edge-rendered side panel | Active everywhere | Active everywhere |
The difference isn’t technical — it’s regional policy. In Europe, the Digital Markets Act forces large “gatekeeper” platforms to respect user choice before harm occurs, not after. Outside that law’s reach — including India, Brazil, and the US — the old patterns simply continue.
Why Windows Matters for India
Windows runs on roughly two-thirds of desktops worldwide, touching over 1.4 billion people. India’s stakes are especially high: nearly 43% of Indian Windows users were still on Windows 10 as of Q1 2026 — the highest share of any region studied — meaning migration-related resets to Edge will hit more people here than anywhere else.
As AI tools get bundled into the OS, the concern is shifting from browsers to assistants. Copilot already forces web links into an Edge-powered panel no matter what browser you’ve chosen, and Mozilla warns this kind of self-preferencing could quietly decide how millions access AI over the next decade.
“Microsoft has shown that it can respect user choice. When regulators are watching, they make some changes. We would ask them to do it globally, rather than relying on competition regulation to force their hand,” said Kush Amlani, Global Competition and Regulatory Lead at Mozilla.
India is now shaping its own digital-market rulebook, and this report lands right in the middle of that debate — a real-world case study on what happens with and without proactive regulation.
For more on how global tech policy is shaping Indian markets, check out TechnoSports for the latest updates.
FAQs
Q1: Does this affect Windows 11 users too, or just Windows 10?
Yes — both versions are affected, though the Windows 10-to-11 migration is a particular flashpoint for losing browser preferences
Q2: Is Microsoft doing anything differently in Europe?
Yes, EU regulation under the Digital Markets Act has forced Microsoft to remove several of the more aggressive patterns there, though some remain.
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