Microsoft has been criticized for its latest free offer for Windows users. This one really is free and really does have “real cash value.” But not everyone is happy about it.
As I reported Sunday, the Windows maker is offering Chrome users willing to try Edge with Rewards points that can be exchanged for real-world gift cards, including on Amazon, which means you use them to help buy pretty much anything.
Windows Latest first spotted the new offer, which is prompted “if you search ‘Chrome’ on Bing.” If you’re lucky enough to see the new pop-up, “Microsoft now dangles 1,300 Rewards points to keep you on Edge for Windows 11. Microsoft Bing also says you can use the 1,300 Rewards points to get a gift card, which will buy you real products.”
Now the Browser Choice Alliance is pushing back. The group representing Chrome, Opera and Vivaldi, amongst others, claims “Microsoft has manipulated desktop browser choice, using deceptive tactics to push Edge onto users.” This includes “forced resets, misleading prompts, and hidden settings to trap people into using its browser.”
In response to the new offer, the group told me “rather than competing on the merits and letting users decide the best browser for their needs, Microsoft is now bribing users with the promise of Microsoft Rewards points that have real cash value.”
It says this is just the latest tactic, and follows Microsoft “exploiting the reach of Microsoft Office 365 to route users onto Edge” and “showing pop-ups discouraging the switch away from Edge when users download other browsers.”
The group also says Microsoft “manipulates the default browser selection process, forcing users to repeatedly reset their default browser manually, defaults users back to Edge without warning,” and now “bribes users with rewards points.”
While the Browser Choice Alliance represents a range of browsers, this is really all about Google Chrome, which has 78% of the market to Edge’s not quite 9%. Windows Latest says “we’re not seeing ads for other browsers, such as Opera, Firefox or Brave.”
I have approached Microsoft for any response.