The software giant first introduced malware-like pop-up ads last year with a prompt that appeared over the top of other apps and windows. After pausing that notification to address “unintended behavior,” the pop-ups have returned again on Windows 10 and 11.

Windows users have reported seeing the new pop-up in recent days, advertising Bing AI and Microsoft’s Bing search engine inside Google Chrome. If you click yes to this prompt, then Microsoft will set Bing as the default search engine for Chrome. These latest prompts look like malware, and once again have Windows users asking if they are legit or nefarious. Microsoft has confirmed to The Verge that the pop-ups are genuine and should only appear once.

Every trick Microsoft pulled to make you browse Edge instead of Chrome

  • deranger@sh.itjust.works
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    8 months ago

    Still incorrect, I believe. The pop ups are from Windows. They’re not doing anything to Chrome. Maybe that’s a pedantic technicality but it matters to me, and probably in a legal sense as well.

    Microsoft has plenty of shitty practices to report on, including the browser pop ups in windows. There’s no need to lie for clicks. I dunno what the commotion about The Verge is you’re referring to, I’m just commenting on the headline.

    • Buddahriffic@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      They control your OS. Instead of just running the program you told it to, it’s checking what program you are running and then displaying a pop-up intended to make them more profit. Functionally, there isn’t really a difference when the OS can already do whatever injected code might want to do.

      It’s like if your bank is inserting flyers for their investment services into any safe deposit boxes that include stock certificates and arguing about whether they are picking your lock to get in or just opening a door in the back that gives them access to each box.

    • Aatube@kbin.melroy.org
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      8 months ago

      Hmm, to me stuffing doesn’t sound like they’re changing Chrome, but I get your point.

      Edit: oh shoot it’s the first sentence

      • TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        It absolutely does?

        Stuffing means cramming something into another thing.

        Microsoft is stuffing pop-up ads into Google Chrome on Windows again

        That’s a blatant lie. Nothing is getting injected/stuffed/whatever synonym-ed into Chrome. It’s a Windows popup.

        It’s still a textbook abuse of dominant market position, and therefore illegal, so there’s no need for the article to lie and hand MS and their fans the opportunity to dismiss this reporting as being fake news, which it essentially is.