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How Microsoft's Trickery Works

June 27th, 2023

On the front page of HN today was the lastest from Microsoft's trickery department. It's also a prime example of how this sort of trickery works in general.

When you click a link from an e-mail in Outlook, it will now open in Microsoft Edge. Don't worry, though, this isn't just to force you into using Edge. It's also going to open your e-mail in a side bar in Edge so you can easily switch between them. It's for your benefit!

This is what they always do. They come up with a new way to push you into their system, whatever that is. Then, they make up a BS fraudulent "feature" nobody asked for to justify it. Finally, when they're accused of manipulating their users, they point to the fraudulent "feature" and write a page on their website like this.

Every single person who has ever visited that page, apart from HN traffic, is there because they want to turn it off. Yet, the entire thing is dedicated to convincing you to leave it on. The steps to turn it off are buried in the FAQ, along with questions such as "How can I set Microsoft Edge as my Windows default browser?". What a joke.

It's not just Microsoft, most technology companies do the same thing. They will keep getting away with it until you do something. At what point will you stop letting them disrespect you this way? Where is the line?

P.S. This is the kind of thing that happens when you have a herd of (very obedient) domesticated users. WhatsApp and the domestication of users by Rohan Kumar is an excellent read about this subject.


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