Microsoft has warmed up to Google Chrome by embracing Privacy Sandbox standards in its Edge browser. It’s been observed that Microsoft is once again resorting to pop-up ads in Google’s browser to encourage users to switch their default search engine to Bing.

Upon accepting the prompt, Bing becomes the default search engine instead of Google Chrome. Some users on Reddit expressed worries that these pop-ups resembled malware, sparking a discussion thread on the platform.

“Just randomly popped up on my desktop today, I couldn’t find anything unusual in the task manager and computer is running fine,” one Reddit user wrote. “Is it just an ad from Microsoft? Actual popup looked pixelated so wasn’t sure. The links for the T&C link directly to Microsoft and did not have redirect links.”

Another Reddit user wrote: “Microsoft did put this exact Ad out, but there’s nothing stopping malware from copying it. If the links were to Microsoft this was probably legit.”

Caitlin Roulston, Microsoft’s communications director, informed The Verge that the notification is a single instance offer, allowing users to opt for Bing as their default search engine on Chrome. She implied that this offer is advantageous for Windows users, as using Edge grants them additional chat turns in Copilot if they agree to the notification.

A user shared their perception that both Microsoft and Google are essentially adware and spyware companies.