There is a browser war underway. Google’s dominance with its market-leading Chrome may appear insurmountable, but all could change if the threatened DOJ break-up gains ground. And Microsoft is waiting eagerly in the wings—at least where the desktop Windows market is concerned—to target Chrome’s 65% market share.
In its push to drive Windows users to the Edge, Microsoft is playing up its browser’s security credentials. As Windows threats surge, Microsoft is advising enterprises to encourage the use of “Microsoft Edge and other web browsers that support Microsoft Defender SmartScreen, which identifies and blocks malicious websites, including phishing sites, scam sites, and sites that host malware.” Put simply—not Chrome.
This is no different to the various campaigns Microsoft has run to intercept new Chrome installs on Windows machines to push the same Edge security message,
Microsoft’s more recent warnings are part of an enterprise push—cleverly advocating for a joined-up, CISO sponsored approach to use Microsoft’s various security platforms in tandem. But if consumers change browsers at work, they may do the same at home. And that could be a bigger threat to Chrome.
Google is now fighting back with a campaign designed to push updated, security-focused Chrome messages out to its 3 billion Chrome users as to why they can trust the tech after all. “In a moment when privacy and security is top of mind,” says consumer marketing VP Adrienne Lofton, “we’ve launched a new campaign to educate the world and show just how safe Chrome is.”
PR around this “World’s Most Trusted Browser” campaign says it will “set the record straight when it comes to Chrome’s security,” and also that it will “claim rightful ownership as the world’s most trusted browser that offers security and safety.” Pushing back on Chrome’s challenging privacy credentials, this will “educate users and highlight how Chrome keeps billions of users safe online every day.”
That’s a tough ask. Especially in the fairly immediate aftermath of the resurrection of tracking cookies with no clarity at all as yet as to what’s really coming next and when it’s likely to hit. “Privacy and security are often conflated,” Lofton says, “and what most consumers don’t realize is that you can’t have privacy without security first.”
The campaign was designed by Arts & Letters, with its founder Charles Hodge explaining that “from its earliest days, Chrome has been innovating, updating and working to make the internet a safer place for everyone. With this campaign, we’re building off Chrome’s established design system to highlight the features and standards that make it the world’s most trusted browser.”
The campaign is now live, and will include billboards, online ads and videos, including “meme-filled social videos that spotlight Chrome’s built-in safety features.” Themes include Chrome’s real-time threat analysis, protecting users before they click on links to websites known to be dangerous, real-time password management, and the sheer scale of the platform making it “the world’s most trusted browser.”
The backdrop is challenging though. Not only is there the lurking DOJ threat, but the unknown future for tracking cookies which gets to the very heart of Chrome privacy, notwithstanding new security innovations. It’s clearly better for consumers to see the death of those cookies, and yet they’re (surprisingly) still here.
Google wants to replace cookies with an opt-in choice for users, where they can decide how to be tracked. But that suggestion is the latest to get caught up in regulatory treacle as Google tries to placate ad industry concerns. “It’s been more than two months now,” Ad Exchanger says, “and Google hasn’t shared any further information. What will the mechanism look like? How will it function? Will it be an opt-in or an opt-out? Where will it live in the browser…”
Even this tracking cookie deprecation will see some competing offerings between Microsoft and Google, with the former launching its own alternative to the latter’s Privacy Sandbox. The “Privacy-Preserving Ads API coming to Microsoft Edge” has now been released as a limited developer preview.
Security and privacy are both critical, and one doesn’t negate the need for the other. Yes, there’s a case for Edge over Chrome on malware protection, but Google’s security innovations are also to be lauded, and there’s no real reason to quit Chrome on security grounds. On privacy, though, the situation remains very different.
Meanwhile, Microsoft will continue to push its security message on enterprises, with Edge part of its recommendation. “By understanding these evolving threats and implementing the recommended mitigations, organizations can better protect themselves against these sophisticated campaigns and safeguard digital assets.”
For all Windows users, Chrome has just been updated to 130.0.6723.58/.59. Given the recent security threats as amplified by Microsoft’s warnings, it’s critical you keep your browser updated. Remember to restart once the update has installed.
