Microsoft May be Adding an Integrated VPN to Edge Browser
According to Microsoft, Secure Network for Edge aims to increase users’ security as they browse through unprotected – or less-than-ideally-protected – networks. In a day and age where hacking (in its various forms) is a daily occurrence, the company aims to help Edge users access the World Wide Web through what it describes as an encrypted, secure network. And if the partnership with Cloudflare pricked your ears at possible data collection issues, you can apparently rest assured: Cloudflare says it will only keep the required diagnostic and support data for a period of 25 hours after the last log-off. Do remember that the Edge sign-in requirement means that more of your data will be made available to Microsoft. But considering the added security and ease of use of a browser-embedded VPN and the increased privacy from all other data collection agents, most users will likely feature a net gain in privacy.
Other browsers, such as Opera, already integrate a VPN, and there are a number of extension-based alternatives for Chromium-based browsers. Microsoft’s Edge Secure Network feature will be integrated into the browser, and users who sign-in to their Microsoft account on Edge can count on a “freeish” approach to billing. Microsoft says up to 1 GB of Internet traffic will be available for all users – thus standing to reason that additional traffic will be billed. That’ll still likely be enough for users who want to conduct more sensitive internet operations like home-banking, but is a laughable amount for most internet usage patterns. Microsoft didn’t announce pricing for the feature