Browsers
Microsoft Edge privacy rating
Microsoft's browser, built on Chromium and bundled with Windows.
Summary
Microsoft Edge scores 30 out of 100 (grade F) on the browsers criteria. It meets 1 of 8 criteria: timely security updates. It partly meets open source and blocks trackers by default. It does not meet no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, independent audit, fingerprinting protection and no calls to big-tech services. It is based in the United States: Five Eyes member; subject to the US CLOUD Act.
Score 30 out of 100. How scoring works
Criteria
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Partial
Open source Weight 3 of 3
Is all the source code needed to run the product public?
Built on open-source Chromium, but Edge itself is closed source.
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No
No trackers or telemetry Weight 3 of 3
Are the website and apps free of third-party trackers, with any analytics anonymous and any telemetry off by default?
Required diagnostic data is sent to Microsoft and cannot be turned off.
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No
No ads or data sales Weight 2 of 3
Is the product funded without advertising, ad targeting or selling user data?
Shows ads and sponsored content on the New Tab page, and browsing activity can be used to personalize Microsoft ads.
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No
Independent audit Weight 2 of 3
Has an independent security or privacy audit been published within the last three years?
No independent audit is published.
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Partial
Blocks trackers by default Weight 3 of 3
Are third-party trackers blocked by default, without installing extensions?
Tracking prevention is on in Balanced mode by default, which blocks some trackers.
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No
Fingerprinting protection Weight 2 of 3
Does the browser defend against fingerprinting by default?
Tracking prevention blocks some known fingerprinting scripts by list, but fingerprinting data is not randomized or standardized.
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No
No calls to big-tech services Weight 2 of 3
Does the browser work without background connections to Google, Microsoft or Apple services?
Required diagnostic data and other Microsoft services are built in and cannot be fully turned off.
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Yes
Timely security updates Weight 3 of 3
Are security fixes from the upstream engine shipped quickly and automatically?
Chromium security fixes ship within days and install automatically.