EU users can now uninstall Edge – but the DMA still has a few more changes in store.
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Since last week in the European Union the »Digital Markets Act« (DMA) came into force. Basically, this regulates platform operators whose services have, to a certain extent, a dominant position in the EU market. The laws promise fair and transparent competition through such regulations.
These operators also include Microsoft, which has Windows, which is by far the most widespread operating system. The developers now explain what changes will affect users within the EU in a blog post.
the essentials in brief
- The Digital Markets Act (DMA) has come into force in the EU, which is intended to regulate platform operators with dominant positions in the market
- Changes include uninstalling the Edge browser or eliminating automatic login
- New controls promise more visible handling of data collected from non-Windows applications
Windows: Edge can be uninstalled, automatic login will be disabled
One of the main changes brought about by the DMA concerns the Edge browser: This was always included with every Windows installation, regardless of whether users even wanted it.
This has come to an end since the regulation came into force. As Microsoft writes, both Edge and the associated Bing search have been adapted so that they can be “uninstalled using the standard mechanisms in Windows.”
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You can now uninstall Microsoft Edge like any other software in the system settings.
As usual, you can find the option to uninstall Edge in the system settings.
A Microsoft account has been mandatory for Windows 11 for some time. Once you have created this, you will automatically be logged in to all Microsoft products and services that are available on your computer.
This one too Automatic registration is no longer necessary. If you want to use services like Edge, start widgets or Onedrive, you have to take action yourself and log in.
Speaking of Onedrive: Microsoft's cloud storage can now also be uninstalled in a standard way, similar to the Edge change. However, the company did not explain this in the blog post mentioned at the beginning, but rather gave the possibility in a support entry after.
In addition, the search field in your taskbar will also be adjusted. Previously, entries here always led to the Bing search engine, whose results were displayed to you.
Third-party providers (i.e. Google and Co.) can also be selected as results in the future. Appropriate instructions for implementation are available from third-party providers Microsoft Learn Blog already available.
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We ignore the Windows warning not to turn off the PC and strange things happen
Aside from the directly visible changes, Microsoft is also making improvements as part of the DMA regulations Handling of user data.
According to the company's own information, new control mechanisms have been introduced to ensure that data collected by “non-Microsoft applications is not used for competitive purposes against the providers of these applications.”
For Windows users, consent prompts and notices have also been redesigned to clarify when Windows data is combined with data from other Microsoft services. However, at the time of publishing the article, we were not able to discover this changed privacy policy.
Last but not least, there is also a new change to the business platform LinkedIn in the context of data protection.
All users can now have one Download a copy of all data, ever made available on LinkedIn. Administrators of LinkedIn profiles can (assuming user consent) make the corresponding changes Downloading data is also easier.
Those of you who use LinkedIn and use the platform's marketing tools can have your marketed services verified by independent partners. This is to ensure that the advertised offers are genuine.