Autofill Blog #2: Password Security

Elliot Kirk 

May I suggest a little more than having Edge create a strong password which is an obvious feature that Edge should have. Create a way to import passwords from Google Chrome into Microsoft Edge.

Chrome Password feature locks people into Google's Browser when it suggests passwords that are hard to memorize, and promises to keep them safely. If you don't give people a way out of Chrome stranglehold on passwords, you'll NEVER get these people to use Edge!

Google is intently locking people into Chrome using subtle ways! They could provide password managers that are outside the browser like Last Pass and Firefox, but they made it inbuilt to lock you in their browser. You need to provide a way out of Google stranglehold.

Proposition for Ms Edge to win more users

I suggest that Edge should have an inbuilt or a bundled download accelerator like IDM as one it's greatest strength. Faster downloads will be a compelling reason for many people to switch to Chrome, it may win 40% of Chrome users within 2 yrs.

Google business model involves looking for products that people do not want to pay for, then they develop provide for free and monetize their data. Microsoft business model involves creating products that people would want, then look for a way to sell, however, Google business model has proven to eat into Microsoft revenues. Sales of Ms Office dropped when Google offered Google Docs for free.

In the spirit of Google's business model, I suggest that Microsoft build a free download accelerator and bundle it with Edge or make it inbuilt in Edge. We don't want to pay for download accelerators - provide it for free, win more users, monetize data. We have lots of PC's in our business, and we don't allow the installation of illegally downloaded software and we don't like paying for IDM for all these PC's. We would want everyone to have IDM but it just doesn't make any economic sense.

There's sufficient incentive for Microsoft to do develop a download accelerator, you want more people to use edge, and you want your ad revenues to keep swelling. There's a bigger pay off so it makes sense to commit resources to develop this. I am not sure if there will be antitrust issues, I know you have a dedicated legal team for that. The last time I checked, IDM extension had 10 Million users on Chrome Web store. Those who have downloaded IDM illegally and use the extension without installing directly from the store could be in the range of hundreds of millions. These people don't want to pay for IDM. Stop them from downloading illegal software that keeps failing every time the web changes, and it constantly needs an update, give them for free but have it deeply integrated into Microsoft ecosystem, then monetize their data - Fair trade!

Extensions to aid Microsoft Eco-system

Once you're done with building your browser, build an extension similar to Gmail Email Checker for providing notification for outlook.com emails. It's these little things that have kept us in Google Ecosystem. If you have 4 Gmail accounts and you want to keep tabs in all of them, Gmail Email Checker will provide you with notifications, you don't need to keep logging in and out of 4 accounts. They have deeply integrated this extension with Google ecosystem so that the moment you allow this extension to notify you of your email, it also logs you in Google search. This way,  Google is able to know who is performing searches then show them ads, the logic being, if you want free Gmail, we will record what you search and show you ads, fair to me and to most people, there's no way around it.

Microsoft should also have an outlook notifier that is deeply integrated with it's ecosystem. If you want free email from Microsoft and you want to be notified of all your 8 - 10 mailboxes that we provide for you for free, then agree to let us log you in our browser, and sync your data to our servers then show you relevant ads based on this collected data. You can install an adblocker if you like.

Notifiers for outlook.com that have been developed by third parties have serious privacy issues, they claim to anonymize your data from commercial emails, they copy your data and emails to their servers and sell to advertisers. They tell you straight to the face and they have no shame. They think it's right to copy your emails.

Google has these little stuff that has hooked me into their ecosystem and I want to leave for Microsoft which has a better email, but I just can't leave - which is a loss for Microsoft and a win for Gmail with their Gmail ads. Microsoft, I know you're listening, don't give us any reason to leave Microsoft and go back to Google services.