Microsoft spent years in court over browser bundling. The tactics have changed. The pattern hasn't.
Mozilla published a detailed critique of how Microsoft has been deploying Copilot across Windows, authored by Mozilla's Linda Griffin. The argument isn't that AI assistants are bad - it's that Microsoft keeps choosing deployment methods that treat users as a captive audience rather than people who opted in.
The specific behaviors Mozilla documented include: Copilot auto-installed on Windows devices without user prompts; a physical Copilot key added to laptop keyboards that launches the app by default; Copilot pinned to the Windows 11 taskbar without asking; and plans to embed Copilot into the notification center, Settings app, and File Explorer.
Some of this was walked back. Microsoft removed Copilot from Photos, Notepad, Snipping Tool, and Widgets after user complaints. But the approach - push first, retreat only when the backlash is loud enough - is exactly what Mozilla's post characterizes as a pattern rather than a series of isolated decisions.
The Browser Parallel Holds Up
The browser angle isn't just historical grievance. Windows Search is currently hardcoded to open Microsoft Edge regardless of which browser you've set as default. Outlook and Teams ignore your default browser settings entirely. And there's no clean migration path for switching away from Windows defaults, unlike the guided setup flows that Android, iOS, and macOS all provide.
What Firefox Shipped Instead
Firefox 148 introduced an "AI Controls panel" - a toggle called "Block AI Enhancements" plus individual controls for specific AI features. Preferences persist across browser updates. Mozilla built a settings layer that defaults to user control. Microsoft's approach defaults to Microsoft.
For anyone who uses Claude, ChatGPT, or another assistant for daily work, the practical consequence is a Windows environment that keeps adding friction around tools you didn't choose. Copilot appearing in File Explorer or the notification center isn't a feature if you never asked for it to be there.