Microsoft Edge Copilot May Stop Tracking Your Online Shopping Activities

Microsoft Edge has recently discontinued the “Show shopping notifications” option within Copilot for its Dev and Canary channels. This functionality, which offered automatic chat suggestions during online shopping, had proven valuable for numerous users seeking deals, comparing prices, and receiving tailored recommendations.

The elimination of this feature means that users will likely miss out on real-time, AI-driven shopping suggestions while they browse the internet. Consequently, discovering the best deals and ideal products could become a more labor-intensive process without the convenience of active notifications. This development implies that the Copilot feature in Microsoft Edge will no longer monitor users’ online shopping behaviors.

Microsoft Updates Copilot by Eliminating Shopping Notifications in Edge

Similarly, previous alterations to Copilot have not been officially detailed by Microsoft. While the removal of this feature might be seen as a positive step for users concerned with privacy, it unfortunately diminishes user control over some aspects of the Copilot functionality. There’s a possibility that shopping notifications could still appear in the Copilot sidebar, leading to potential inconvenience.

Several factors may have influenced Microsoft’s choice to remove this feature. It’s possible that users found the notifications to be distracting or not particularly beneficial, resulting in Microsoft’s decision to enhance the overall Copilot experience. Additionally, growing concerns surrounding data privacy and the usage of browsing data might have pushed Microsoft to eliminate the feature to alleviate these worries. While the shopping notifications function still exists in beta and earlier versions, it may not be long before Microsoft phases it out entirely.

Despite the retraction of explicit shopping notifications, Copilot is expected to evolve and continue providing shopping assistance in less intrusive manners. This adjustment could lead to a reduction in interruptions, along with lower data collection, thereby enhancing user privacy.

In addition to the changes concerning Copilot in Edge, Microsoft has recently introduced more options for managing the visibility of the Edge sidebar through new settings. Additionally, the company has rolled out instant updates in Edge Beta. Microsoft is also experimenting with image editing capabilities through Designer in Edge while preparing Edge Lens to offer competition to Chrome’s Google Lens.

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