Microsoft to force Chrome default search to Bing via Office365 ProPlus installer

Re:Microsoft to force Chrome default search to Bing via Offi... by Someone1234 on Thursday January 23, 2020 @10:12AM (#22128109)

Searching from the address bar, and changing the user's default search experience aren't the same thing.

If Microsoft was adding Bing as a search provider this wouldn't be nearly as controversial. Instead they're removing the user's preference and replacing it with their own, without consent, during a regular update of an unrelated product.

It is basically adware behaviour. Microsoft's self-rationalisation isn't relevant.

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Re:Microsoft to force Chrome default search to Bing via Offi... by untog on Thursday January 23, 2020 @12:19PM (#22129459)

It's worth pointing out that the installer doing this is a business-only installer. So while, yes, it is removing the user's preference, it is also a corporate tool for enforcing corporate policies on corporate machines.

The issue here is that the install is not optional when it should be: admins should have the choice. But IMO it's debatable whether end users (of their corporate machines) should.

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Re:Microsoft to force Chrome default search to Bing via Offi... by lake99 on Thursday January 23, 2020 @10:31AM (#22128295)

I'd call it malware behaviour, but I agree with your general point.

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