Microsoft says the brand new Copilot app, added by current Edge updates to the listing of put in Home windows apps, does not accumulate or relay information to its servers.
This comes after many experiences from admins saying their Home windows Server 2022 methods now have an undesirable Copilot utility put in with out permission.
As the corporate revealed on Tuesday, the listing of affected platforms additionally contains shopper methods working Home windows 10 22H2 and Home windows 11 21H2 or later.
“Updates to Edge browser version 123.0.2420.65, released on March 28, 2024 and later, might incorrectly install a new package (MSIX) called ‘Microsoft chat provider for Copilot in Windows’ on Windows devices. Resulting from this, the Microsoft Copilot app might appear in the Installed apps in Settings menu,” Redmond stated.
Microsoft additionally says that the Copilot app these current Edge updates add on impacted units cannot really be used to launch Copilot and doesn’t accumulate any person or system information.
“It is important to note that the Microsoft chat provider for Copilot in Windows does not execute any code or process, and does not acquire, analyze, or transmit device or environment data in any capacity,” Microsoft explains.
The package deal is meant solely to organize some Home windows units for future Home windows Copilot enablement and won’t be seen on all Home windows units.
Furthermore, in response to Microsoft, even when the put in element causes a Copilot app to show as put in on the system, it will not absolutely set up or allow Home windows Copilot.
“As part of the upcoming resolution of this issue, the chat provider for Copilot in Windows component will be removed from devices where Microsoft Copilot is not intended to be enabled or installed. This includes most Windows Server devices,” Microsoft stated.
“We are working on a resolution and will provide an update in an upcoming release of Microsoft Edge.”
The corporate is now additionally testing advertisements within the Home windows 11 Begin menu as a part of a brand new experiment to assist customers “discover great apps from the Microsoft Store.”
That is a part of a trial rolling out within the Beta Channel to a “small set of Insiders” who’ve put in Home windows 11 Insider Preview Construct 22635.3495.
Two years in the past, Redmond promoted its Edge internet browser within the Home windows 10 Begin Menu and by accident broke each the Taskbar and the Begin Menu whereas testing Microsoft Groups advertisements on some Home windows Insider builds.
