Microsoft has clumsily presented this intrusive advertisement as an opportunity to get free Copilot tokens.
The War of Pop-Up Advertisements in Chrome
For some time now, Microsoft has been promoting its Bing search engine through banner ads that appear as pop-ups in Chrome on Windows 10 and 11. Users are constantly urged to use Bing as an alternative to Google. This advertising approach may seem annoying or intrusive to some.
An Opportunity for the User?
Curiously, in Microsoft’s eyes, this promotional practice would be seen as an opportunity for internet users. A company representative stated, “It’s a one-time notification giving people the choice to set Bing as their default search engine on Chrome.” He mentioned that those who switch to Bing benefit from additional features, such as more interactions in Copilot and conversation history.
What About the User’s Freedom?
In a defensive move for its strategy, Microsoft claims to value providing its customers with limited choices, like the ability to close the notification. However, the real question remains whether such a tactic stifles user freedom. Indeed, there doesn’t seem to be an easy way to block the ad from appearing.
Advertising: An Intrusive or Crafty Offensive?
It is clear that this initiative, far from being universally popular, highlights the fierce rivalry between Google and Microsoft, forcing them to fight for each user. Between “opportunity” and “intrusive offensive,” opinions remain divided on the usefulness and ethics of this practice.
However, one thing is certain: in this fierce battle for supremacy in the search engine world, the user remains a top priority, pushing tech giants to excel in order to win their preference.