Microsoft Nearing Complete Removal Of Creator-Tracking Feature In Edge Amid Privacy Concerns

Microsoft is quietly getting rid of one of the major features in Edge due to privacy concerns.

Key Takeaways

Microsoft Edge is removing the creator-follow feature due to privacy concerns, following backlash from users and criticism in reports.
Users can still find the toggle for following content creators in the browser settings, but enabling it won’t bring the option back.
Google Chrome still has the follow creator capability for mobile users, specifically on Android phones by enabling the “web-feed” flag.

Depending on why you ask, there are numerous reasons why some people believe that Microsoft Edge is the best web browser. On the contrary, though, there is another set of people that outright reject it for issues like not being able to easily change the default browser as well as the search engine. While time will tell whether Microsoft manages to address major issues in the Edge browser, the software giant is actively working on removing the creator-tracking feature for allegedly putting users’ privacy at risk.

Microsoft is getting rid of the creator follow feature in Edge

Top Settings to change on Microsoft Edge

Source: mockup.photos

Famed leaker @Leopeva64 spotted evidence in the latest Edge Canary and Dev builds, suggesting that Microsoft is close to completely removing the option that allowed users to follow their favorite content creators in the Collections pane. It came into being a couple of years ago but was apparently causing more harm than good when it comes to respecting users’ privacy.

Last year, The Verge published a report highlighting how the follow creator option in Edge browser was poorly implemented, as a result of which, Edge was sending every website you visit to Bing. Unsurprisingly, the incident invited lots of criticism from Edge users. After issuing a statement saying that it’d investigate the issue, Microsoft quietly removed the follow creator feature from the location bar, though users could still see the creators they follow in the “Following” tab in the Collections pane. However, in the latest Edge Dev and Canary builds, that option is also gone.

Screenshot showing Edge Collections and Follow pop up

If you’re using Microsoft Edge, you can navigate to the browser settings and then go to Privacy, search, and services page, where you’ll still find the toggle for following content creators, though enabling it won’t bring the option back. It’s worth noting that clicking the Learn more button in the Collections and Follow pop-up takes you to a Microsoft support page, where Microsoft explains how the Collections feature works, with no mention of the option to follow creators. All this is enough evidence for us to believe that Microsoft is slowly retiring the functionality. However, we can’t rule out the possibility that it won’t make a comeback without privacy issues in the future.

Google Chrome is at your rescue, but there is a catch

If you love tracking all the latest content from your favorite content creators, Google Chrome still has the option. However, the follow creator capability is available only for mobile users. If you’re using Chrome on your Android phone, you can easily turn it on by enabling the “web-feed” flag.