Whether you are letting your kids use the internet, or are just browsing yourself, of course, you want to choose the safest possible internet browser that will keep your valuable information private and keep you far away from viruses.
Furthermore, one of the most popular to choose from is, in fact, Microsoft Edge, which has so much to offer, but you are most likely wondering whether or not it is safe. Luckily, this article will tell you everything you need to know!
Is Microsoft Edge Safe In 2024?
According to the Microsoft Edge team, they take responsibility and take it very seriously to help keep its customers safe and keep their information private in 2024. Additionally, the company is constantly working to keep ahead of threats and intrusive behavior on the web, and it continues to share how they are working on increasing the safety and privacy of its internet browser.
If you want to learn everything you need to know about whether or not Microsoft Edge is safe for you to use, you’ll want to keep reading!
Is Microsoft Edge Safe For Your Family?
Microsoft Edge comes equipt with family safety and empowers you and your family to create healthy habits in order to protect the ones you love.
Additionally, MS Edge has web and search filters and lets family organizers (such as parents and caregivers) create safe spaces for their family members to explore online.
Furthermore, these filters will automatically block unwanted websites that may be too mature for young ones and allows organizers to block other sites that may be inappropriate.
There is even a setting that, when turned on, organizers can see the members’ app use, website visits, and search terms they used in Microsoft Edge, this is called Activity Reporting.
Also, to make sure that your family is being properly protected, you’ll want to add them as a member to a family group and make sure they sign in with their account on Windows and Xbox.
On Android devices, members should sign in with their Microsoft account in Microsoft Edge for daily features to apply.
Moreover, those who are assigned as Organizers can also view or manage the member browsing experience through the Microsoft Family Safety app.
Does Microsoft Edge Have Tracking Prevention?
Websites use trackers to try and understand how you interact with them and browse the web.
Furthermore, these trackers can have many different uses, which include enabling functionality.
This could be in comment sections, article sharing on social media, and personalized ads.
Additionally, some of these trackers collect data about you across multiple sites, which is the reason why it can sometimes feel like an ad follows you around the web.
However, Microsoft Edge has tracking prevention designed to detect and block known trackers whether you’re on your desktop or mobile devices.
This helps you to take control of which trackers to block with three levels to choose from, which include:
- Basic
- Balanced
- Strict
Additionally, MS Edge’s Tracking prevention balanced mode is enabled by default, helping protect you from tracking while keeping the websites that you visit working smoothly.
What Security Features Does Microsoft Edge Have?
As mentioned previously, Microsoft Edge has many security features set in place such as tracking prevention and family safety.
However, MS Edge also offers SmartScreen, which helps keep you safe from spooky social engineering attacks.
Additionally, this feature is a reputation-based service that protects against malicious content on the web, which includes phishing, technical support scams, malware, malvertising, and more.
Furthermore, Microsoft Edge is now more secure than Chrome and Firefox because it offers better protection against phishing and malware attacks on Windows 10.
Is Microsoft Edge Safer Than Other Search Engines?
As mentioned above, Microsoft Edge is actually more safe than other popular search engines that are offered currently.
In fact, some of these browsers include Chrome and Firefox.
Furthermore, Edge is safer than others because of the amount of security and safety precautions that it has set in place.
What Is The Difference Between Privacy And Security?
As you may already know, privacy and security, are not the same thing, and they often compete with one another.
For example, security refers to a browser’s defenses against external cyber threats which include malware and phishing.
Whereas privacy refers to the exposure of your personal data to third parties which included the browser developer itself.
How Does Microsoft Edge Compare To Its Previous Version?
The newest version of Microsoft Edge is available in more than 90 languages, as well as on iOS and Android, providing its users with a true cross-platform experience.
Plus, it comes with more privacy, more productivity, and more value while you browse alongside a bunch of new features like tracking prevention, which was mentioned earlier in this article.
Additionally, users of Edge can also experience these new and improved capabilities which include the following:
- ADD support
- Internet Explorer mode
- 4K streaming
- Dolby audio
- Linking in PDF
- Microsoft Search in Bing integration
- Support for Chrome-based extensions
How Does Microsoft Edge Protect Against Hackers, Malware, Phishing, And Spyware?
As mentioned previously, the newest version of Edge blocks trackers by default using one of the three different levels of protection.
Furthermore, the default level used is known as “Balanced”, which is active upon instillation.
This mode blocks various third-party tackers along with any trackers designated as “malicious” and takes into account sites that you visit often.
Additionally, this lowers tracking prevention for organizations that you frequently engage with.
Also, other options that you can choose from besides the default option are “Basic” which offers a more relaxed level of control while still blocking tackers.
There is also “Strict”, which goes above and beyond in blocking most third-party trackers across websites.
To know more, you can also read our posts on why Microsoft is so bad, what is Microsoft MVP, and how does Microsoft make money.
Conclusion
It is nearly impossible to completely safely browse the internet these days, however, if you are looking for the safest available option, you’ll want to use Microsoft Edge.
Furthermore, this search engine is constantly working towards stopping threats and intrusive behaviors on the internet and improving its privacy and security at the same time.