Microsoft appears to be currently testing an additional security layer for the Edge browser called Edge Secure Network, which offers a built-in VPN powered by Cloudflare. The new layer of security and privacy to the browsing service was recently spotted on the support page of Microsoft’s website. With a detailed introduction of the Microsoft Edge Secure Network feature, the support page also mentions ways in which it provides additional security. For now, there’s no telling when the feature will arrive.
The Microsoft Edge Secure Network VPN service is not available to users yet. Its support post, spotted first by XDA Developers, details that it will come with a monthly 1GB free data limit with the user’s Microsoft Account. To keep an account of the data that has been used/left in a month, one can turn on the shield icon. It also reflects the date for the auto renewal of data. As of now, the company has not given any details on subscription fee for data usage beyond 1GB.
However, it appears to be similar to Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1 service. In the support post, Microsoft has also given a glimpse of how the Microsoft Edge Secure Network will function to ensure privacy. The proxy uses limited diagnostic and support data, which is automatically deleted every 25 hours. This helps to keep the user safe by keeping important details away from prying eyes, even on public Wi-Fi networks.
While the Edge Secure Network feature is not yet available, the post details how to use it. One has to sign into their Microsoft account, and then go to Settings and More > Turn on Microsoft Edge Secure Network to enable the feature. To ensure your browsing experience is protected, you can check the shield icon in the browser frame. However, the feature will turn off once you close Microsoft Edge. The user needs to turn it on again on their next browsing session.
When you sign in to Microsoft Edge using a Microsoft account, the data will be synced automatically. This includes browsing history, favourites, settings, data saved to fill forms, passwords and extensions. However, one can also choose to turn the sync on and off individually for each data type.