Over at Microsoft, they have a new browser called Edge that is part of Windows 10, and they'd really like everyone to use it. Edge replaces Internet Explorer, which has fallen from a peak of about 95% usage share during 2003 to as low as 13% today. The new version of Windows steamrolls over a user's preferred application settings and makes Microsoft's Edge browser the default. "[T]he design of the whole upgrade experience and the default settings APIs have been changed to make this less obvious and more difficult," Mozilla CEO Beard explains in an open letter to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Windows 10 is a free upgrade for current home users of Windows 7 or 8, which means that it's sure to become popular.

Mozilla is not fond of this change. They have put together an education campaign to show users how to get Mozilla's Firefox back as their default browser after they've already upgraded: it's less than a minute long, but it has become a more complex multi-step process not everyone will be able to figure out. Microsoft hasn't responded to Mozilla's queries about the situation or why Windows installation overrides the user's current preferences.

Micah Lee from The Intercept wants to remind you that all your communications are being spied on, and offers tips on how you can chat securely and anonymously, particularly with journalists, as NSA whistle blower Edward Snowden did. His tips amount to: using Tor, Jabber, and OTR (Off-the-Record messaging), while creating disposable accounts that can't be linked back to you. He includes some specifics for various operating systems, and a number of important tips and caveats, such as:

* Use Tor when you create your chat account, not just when you use it.
* Never login to that account when you're not using Tor.
* Don't choose a user name that might betray your real identity - don't use a pseudonym that you've used in the past. Make up a random user name that doesn't have anything to do with you
* Don't re-use passwords.
* Be aware of which contacts you communicate with from which secret identity accounts.
* Don't give any other identifying information to the chat service.
* Don't use your Tor IP address to login to a chat account that's publicly associated with you.