Microsoft to introduce free VPN for Edge browser
Redmond lines up a 1GB-per-month secure tunnelling service - but you'll need to sign in
Microsoft plans to launch a free VPN service with up to 1 GB traffic per month for its web browser, Edge.
Microsoft Edge Secure Network will operate through a partnership with Cloudflare, the US-based content delivery and security network, according to a post on Microsoft's support page.
It will offer encrypted tunnelling 1 GB of traffic per month, but users will be required to sign-in to their Microsoft Account to use it. The company says this is to enable it to track the free usage.
Turning on the VPN, which users can accomplish via Edge's menu, will also automatically launch the sync service, sharing bookmarks, passwords and form data across signed-in instances of Edge on the user's other devices.
The strict data limit means that for most users Microsoft Edge Secure Network will not be a substitute for a paid-for service, and some will question the uses to which their data will be put: one of the hallmarks of a good VPN service is that is does not store user logs. It is also not clear what choice of exit servers will be available. Nevertheless, it may provide a useful stop-gap for users in airports and cafés who want to be more anonymous or secure unencrypted traffic.
Edge is not the first browser to offer a free VPN service. Opera users have been able to avail themselves of its no-log VPN service for years and last month extended the offering to a paid for version VPN Pro, with 3,000 exit nodes and support for up to six Android devices for $3.99 per month.
Mozilla also offers a VPN for Firefox, based on the highly-regarded Mullvad service, although in this case there is no free option. Mozilla VPN costs $4.99 per month.
In the continuing browser wars, VPNs are becoming a must-have add-on. Arguably, they are a less important for security than they used to be, given that almost all web traffic is now encrypted through HTTPS. However, they do add an additional layer of security and anonymity - and are useful for accessing many geo-restricted services.
As with many security solutions, however, you tend to get what you pay for. Over the years, numerous free VPNs have been found to be tracking their users, or to suffer from malware infestation, poor connectivity and bandwidth.