March 17, 2024 at 01:08PM
Microsoft is promoting Bing and the GPT-4 Bing Chat platform to Google Chrome users through popup desktop ads on Windows 10 and Windows 11. Although some users initially suspected malware due to the ad quality, Microsoft confirmed the legitimacy as a one-time notification offering the choice to set Bing as the default search engine on Chrome. The unsolicited ads aim to change the default search engine to Bing and install the Bing Service, prompting Google Chrome’s security feature to defend against potential malicious extensions. Microsoft’s targeted ads against Google have been seen before, indicating a continuing battle for user data, browsing habits, and advertising dominance.
From the meeting notes, the key takeaways are:
– Microsoft is promoting Bing and its GPT-4 Bing Chat platform to Google Chrome users on Windows 10 and 11 through popup desktop advertisements.
– Some users were initially concerned that the ads were displayed by malware due to their quality, but Microsoft confirmed that they are legitimate one-time notifications.
– The popup ad offers users the option to set Bing as their default search engine on Chrome, with the ability to dismiss the notification.
– Clicking “Yes” on the ad will change the default Google Chrome search engine to Bing and install the Bing Service as a Chrome extension.
– Google Chrome includes a security feature to defend against malicious extensions that change the default search engine, which prompts users to confirm the change.
– The Bing extension displays a message asking users not to change it back and to continue using Microsoft Bing Search for Chrome.
– This is not the first time Microsoft has targeted Google with popup desktop ads, as both companies have historically targeted each other with competing ads in their search engines, applications, and operating systems.
These takeaways provide a clear understanding of the situation regarding Microsoft’s promotional efforts for Bing to Google Chrome users and the broader context of competition between Microsoft and Google in the browser and search engine landscape.