Microsoft Edge Won't Show You Notification Requests Other People Don't Like (theverge.com) 76
Microsoft is trying a new solution for the persistent "would you like to allow notifications from this website" requests that you see across the internet: crowdsourcing data on which ones people block and which ones they allow. From a report: According to a blog post today, Microsoft is calling this feature adaptive notification requests, and the company is rolling it out in Edge 88 after it received positive feedback from testers. For an example of how this works, say there's a website that commonly asks for notifications, and nobody wants them. They'll either ignore the request or click the block button to make sure they never see it again. Microsoft then collects that data and will stop showing new users the notification request in the future.
What? (Score:5, Insightful)
Has anybody here ever allowed a single notification, ever?
(Apart from maybe just once to see what happens, then blocking it after the second "notification"...)
What we really need is a filter to block all websites that contain the text "We care about your privacy!"
Re: What? (Score:3)
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I mean, I want my email notifying me sometimes. When I'm using any manner of webmail, I allow those notifications.
I could see allowing a forum too? I don't normally, but I could see wanting to get timely notification of comments.
The other big one is twitch or another streaming service, and I expect that's a more common use than anything else. With twitch you might see that your favorite streamer is live and go watch that channel instead of whatever other entertainment you were up to.
But lets assume that
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Re:What? (Score:5, Insightful)
Has anybody here ever allowed a single notification, ever?
(Apart from maybe just once to see what happens, then blocking it after the second "notification"...)
What we really need is a filter to block all websites that contain the text "We care about your privacy!"
I think I've allowed it for some sites for email, calendars and meetings. As a consultant, I often need to be logged into apps with multiple accounts - and not all apps can handle that. So I need to log into the web version of the app for one account (e.g. employer), and app for the customer.
As for all the "normal" websites - obviously not. Why would anyone?
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Microsoft Teams - in the interest of compartmentalizing its resource-hogging arse, running it out of a browser has some advantages... so being allowed to emit notifications is reasonable for it.
It really sucks for joining meetings, though. That's the most annoying app not to support multiple signons.
Re: What? (Score:2)
Re: What? (Score:1)
Re: What? (Score:4, Insightful)
Lots of people. Then they get stuck with notifactions about weird shit when they just wanted to get rid f the box.
Dialog boxes are click yes if you want to receive notifications. There isn't a no but ask me again tomorrow option.
I really hate that I can't say no don't ever fucking bug me again or I can sue you button.
Re: What? (Score:5, Informative)
Similar settings for camera, microphone, location as well.
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I could imagine wanting notifications from gmail, if it is smart enough to only notify me of email from certain people.
Re: What? (Score:2)
What does e-mail have to do with the browser?
Re: What? (Score:5, Informative)
You can open Gmail in a browser when work doesn't allow your IMAP client.
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To your flavour of ignorance probably nothing. I guess you think www.hotmail.com is an express postal service or some shit like that.
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Why not implement it as an icon that appears in the URL bar, so you can click it to enable notifications if you want to? No pop-up request.
Oh right, then people wouldn't be able to "discover" spam so easily. Honestly whoever though the current implementation in Chromium based browsers was a good idea... I mean how do you get into the position of having that much control over the UI but know so little about the web that it seems like something people would want?
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I mean the tab text alternates between saying inbox and new message or something when you get a new one. It can also play a little ding if you allow it background audio privilages. So I don't turn on notifications, the tab changing is enough for me... sometimes the dings if I'm waiting on something.
It's very configurable.
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I have, but I'm not sure if this counts. I host my own Jellyfin server, and I allow notifications from my locally hosted website, because It allows me to get server notifications via windows, which for me is useful, but since it's notifications from a site I am hosting and running, I don't think it really counts.
Re:What? (Score:5, Informative)
My transit prediction web app TransSee [transsee.app] uses web notifications to tell you when your bus is about to arrive.
It doesn't ask you to enable notifications unless you go to the page to initialize it.
Re: What? (Score:2)
Whatsapp Web and Google Calendar.
Everything else can feck off. Should be off by default as far as I'm concerned.
Re: What? (Score:2)
You leak your calendar to Google?
There are suicide helplines, my friend. You don't need to cut courself.
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You're right, that is an excellent reason to hand your schedule over to the World's largest ad network.
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I'm sure that Google are really interested in my face-to-face work meetings in rooms they can't get to, on sites they have no access to, with people who don't know them, about topics which bore THE PEOPLE WHOSE JOBS THEY ARE.
Oh, and that my domain expires on the date the WHOIS says it expires, that school half-term is this week and I must remember to watch The Chase this evening (documented in its entirety as the single word "Chase").
You should be thanking me - I'm the noise in their signal.
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Whatsapp Web and Google Calendar.
Everything else can feck off.
My phone beeps whenever a message arrives on whatsapp web. That's enough notification for me.
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Yes. I use Outlook/Teams/Sharepoint for work through their respective web-clients. I want a notification when there is a change in Sharepoint or when someone from Teams contacts me.
So no, I don't want notifications from random websites I visit. But for webclients/apps, I do.
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No. Hopefully MS counts having switched them off globally as a "no" for every site.
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I also wonder who enters their email address when a website asks for it. Probably like dating. Ask enough people and someone will eventually say yes.
Re: What? (Score:2)
That's very polite. I usually go with some variation of fuck@off.com.
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There are three kinds of people.
First who enable them case by case, for example Calendar has notifications on.
Second blocks them all.
Those are fine.
But then there are people who are "persuaded" into allowing all these notifications, which makes them into essentially a 21st century "Internet Explorer Toolbar" equivalent.
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Has anybody here ever allowed a single notification, ever?
Yes. Precisely 3 websites, all of which benefit from announcing changes on them to me.
No, not some shitty news site. Not some recipe site. Definitely not IGN or some other similar bullshit.
I better not use Edge (Score:3)
If I did, I might kill off the whole "notifications" ecosystem, since I never allow notifications.
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If I did, I might kill off the whole "notifications" ecosystem, since I never allow notifications.
So you're saying that all other Edge users hope you do use Edge?
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If I did, I might kill off the whole "notifications" ecosystem, since I never allow notifications.
So you're saying that all other Edge users hope you do use Edge?
Both of them are very hopeful!
Re: Microsoft, breaking web standards since the 90 (Score:2)
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> at what point will microsoft crowdsource that information and simply bundle chrome with windows instead of edge?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org] - According to this, it happened January 15th, 2020
Re:Microsoft, breaking web standards since the 90s (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't know - this could cause a change in the behavior of websites. Instead of always pestering you with that popup dialog when you _first_ hit the site... they might put the notification enabling under a "settings" menu or have some other explicit link to "Enable Notifications", which would pop up that dialog. That way, only the people who _want_ the notifications are getting the dialog (and therefore they wouldn't run afoul of this Edge feature).
So: it may make them use this like it was supposed to be used...
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+1 to that.
Never assume that just because I'm visiting your website means I'm interested in everything that happens on your website. I may only be there to read an article that was linked by another website, because that's the way the fucking Web works.
The other thing is that pushing a notification request on page load is just fucking rude. Can you imagine all the fucking brick and mortar stores trying to push membership cards or some other shit every fucking time you visit their store? That's what those no
Re: Microsoft, breaking web standards since the 90 (Score:2)
Frankly, since most "webstandards" nowadays are just Google trying to break eveyone else, I cheer for every "webstandard" whose legs are broken before it is told to run from a .50 aiming at its head. (Sorry, I just watched a certain movie :P)
"smart" websites, aka sites that aren't just hypertext documents, aka webapps, should have never been a thing.
There are much better ways to create terminal applications.
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My fear is this is only the beginning of screwy things MS will do to the intertubes. Now it is notifications, tomorrow it may be some other feature that they will claim "tests well" for removal.
Microsoft then collects that data... (Score:1)
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Exactly, this headline should be "Microsoft tracks which notifications you allow"
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Satya, is that you? Microsoft is not the benevolent dictator you make them out to be, the only vested interest they have in protecting people's privacy is the danger of getting caught.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/d... [forbes.com]
A new report reveals that 250 million Microsoft customer records, spanning 14 years, have been exposed online without password protection.
https://www.techrepublic.com/a... [techrepublic.com]
Upon installation, Windows 10 defaults to some pretty serious privacy invasions. Here are some steps you can take to keep your personal data private.
Microsoft recorded users of Xboxes and had human workers listen to the recordings.
https://www.gnu.org/proprietar... [gnu.org]
Windows 10 telemetry program sends information to Microsoft about the user's computer and their use of the computer.
Furthermore, for users who installed the fourth stable build of Windows 10, called the “Creators Update,” Windows maximized the surveillance by force setting the telemetry mode to “Full”.
The “Full” telemetry mode allows Microsoft Windows engineers to access, among other things, registry keys which can contain sensitive information like administrator's login password.
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I love it (Score:2)
even easier fix (Score:3)
What If We Block Edge? (Score:2)
Re: What If We Block Edge? (Score:2)
Sounds like an easily circumventable blacklist.
Better just block Windows right away. Gets rid of other malware like Cortana too.
Re: I always say NO (Score:2)
Or maybe we could invent some newfangled device, that could do repeated dull tasts for us! Some kind of automatic com...puter...
MS Vote 2024 (Score:4, Funny)
Edge will now vote for you based on candidates that other people like.
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I mean the result will probably be more intelligent than the way many people currently vote.
A literal idiocracy. (Score:2)
Because that is SUCH a good idea...
Then again, if you use Edge, I already don't know what to say. Maybe "Recycle him!"? ;)
Use the setting to globally disable notifications (Score:2)
Please do that for ads too (Score:2)
Please.
The facts is (Score:2)
The facts is that the vast majority of us DON'T want to be shown ANY fucking notification requests, which are almost ALWAYS a plea to buy shit, subscribe, or sign in.
I block notifications and if one persists, I use a custom rule in Ad Block to make it go away forever.
Always a pretext to justify stalking (Score:2)
While the sheer breadth of excuses to collect data baked into modern web browsers is an embarrassing indictment of the industry this particular misfeatures deserves consideration for this years doubling down on stupid award.
I'm not sure spying on notifications is quite as technically developed stupid as say the "SPRING" working group within the IETF but it certainly deserves consideration.
The one notification they should silence (Score:2, Insightful)
"Make Microsoft Edge as your default browser"
We have that one every time there is a Windows 10 update. But maybe they think other people like it. Maybe the explanation is that their "crowdsourcing" is exclusively conducted in the Microsoft marketing department.
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Really? I mean Windows 10 is only used on my gaming PC, but I don't even recall seeing that request more than once.
If it kills that feature off, so much the better (Score:2)
Honestly, it's tiring just how much is pushed into the browser ecosystem by Google just so web pages can act like desktop or mobile applications.I use email clients for a reason. I much prefer desktop applications for conference or video calls. If Facebook and Amazon had decent desktop applications, I'd use those too.
Because web applications are completely. inconsistent. We all know this. Will this random address form on a web site work with autocompletion? Who knows. Nope, sorry, all the text fields chang