Mozilla criticises Copilot auto‑installation
Mozilla publicly criticised Microsoft for auto‑installing Copilot components on Windows machines without explicit user consent, framing it as a privacy and user‑control concern. The complaint centres on default installs of AI tools and the privacy implications for everyday users and enterprises. (x.com)
Mozilla has accused Microsoft of pushing Copilot onto Windows users without clear consent, reviving a long fight over defaults, prompts and control. (blog.mozilla.org) In a post published April 9, Mozilla said the Microsoft 365 Copilot app began auto-installing on Windows devices that already run Microsoft 365 desktop apps, “with no prompt and no consent.” Mozilla also pointed to Copilot being pinned by default on Windows 11 systems and to the dedicated Copilot keyboard key on newer laptops. (blog.mozilla.org) Microsoft’s own deployment guide says Windows devices with Microsoft 365 desktop apps “automatically install” the Microsoft 365 Copilot app in the background. The company says that rollout currently is temporarily disabled because of a technical issue, and that the automatic install does not apply in the European Economic Area. (learn.microsoft.com) Microsoft also says new Windows 11 personal computers should already have the Copilot app installed by default, pinned to the taskbar or listed in the Start menu. On work devices signed in with Microsoft Entra accounts, Microsoft says the Microsoft 365 Copilot app is pinned to the taskbar on new personal computers. (support.microsoft.com, learn.microsoft.com) The dispute lands as Microsoft folds artificial intelligence deeper into Windows itself, not just into a standalone chatbot. Microsoft says Copilot on Windows can search files, read some document types, take screenshots, view web content and respond to the “Hey Copilot” wake phrase. (support.microsoft.com) On Copilot+ personal computers, Microsoft says some artificial-intelligence components are part of the operating system and are updated through Windows Update. Those components include local models for image creation, image processing, image transformation and language tasks that run on dedicated hardware inside the device. (support.microsoft.com) Mozilla’s complaint is partly about where the choice appears. The company said Microsoft planned to place Copilot in the notification center, the Settings app and File Explorer before later pulling back some integrations after user backlash. (blog.mozilla.org) Microsoft frames the enterprise version as a protected work service rather than a consumer assistant. In Microsoft’s documentation, prompts and responses for users signed in with work or school accounts are covered by enterprise data protection terms, and work-scoped responses can draw on emails, chats and documents a user already has permission to access. (learn.microsoft.com) Administrators do have some controls. Microsoft says organizations can prevent automatic installation of the Microsoft 365 Copilot app through the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center, and devices on the Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel do not auto-install it. (learn.microsoft.com) Mozilla used the Copilot rollout to argue that Microsoft is still shaping Windows around its own services first and user choice second. Microsoft’s current documents show both sides of that fight at once: more ways to turn Copilot on, and more instructions for administrators trying to keep it off. (blog.mozilla.org, learn.microsoft.com)
