Microsoft Edge has recently come under scrutiny as users discovered that the browser sends the URLs of the websites they visit the Bing API website. This was first noticed by Reddit users who found that the latest version of the Edge browser was sending requests to “bingapis.com” with the full URL of almost every page visited by the user.
Many users are now left trying to figure out why their online movements are being tracked, and it seems that the issue may stem from a feature called Creator Subscription. This feature allows users to follow their favourite creators on YouTube and social media and receive notifications when latest content is available. However, security experts have discovered that URLs are no longer sent to “bingapis.com” after disabling this feature.
Raphael River, a programmer and one of the developers of the EarTrumpet app for Windows 10, shed some light on the situation, stating, “Microsoft Edge now has a subscription to authors feature, which is enabled by default. The feature seems to notify Bing when the user is on certain pages, such as YouTube, The Verge, or Reddit. But the feature doesn’t seem to work correctly, instead sending almost every domain you visit to Bing.”
Although Microsoft has not yet explained why the list of visited websites is sent to “bingapis.com,” the company has issued a statement saying, “We are aware of incoming messages. We are investigating and will take appropriate action to resolve any issues.” It is believed that this issue may simply be due to a configuration error.
Cybersecurity experts advise temporarily removing the subscription to creators function until Microsoft works out how to implement it appropriately. This may be accomplished by putting “creators” into the search bar and disabling the appropriate item in the Edge browser settings.
This incident highlights the importance of privacy and data protection, especially as more and more users rely on technology for their daily activities. Tech companies must prioritize user privacy and take appropriate measures to protect their users’ personal information.
