Edge soon to host a (tiny) VPN

Edge. © Microsoft.

A support document published last week says that Microsoft is adding a free VPN to its Edge browser. Named “Edge Secure Network”, it is based on the Cloudflare service and is meant to improve users’ security and privacy. A VPN is an encrypted tunnel that shields all web browsing from the view of other machines on the same network. This free service, however, has its limitations. Users will need a Microsoft account to access the service, and data tops out at 1GB per month beyond which you can’t go, not for love nor money. This low cap shows that the Edge VPN won’t supplant a VPN subscription for people who run all their web traffic through a VPN or who want to get around videos’ territory restrictions. But it’s suitable for occasional use, on a coffeeshop’s Wi-Fi network for example, and that seems to be just about its speed.

⇨ Ars Technica, Andrew Cunningham, “Microsoft is testing a free 1GB-per-month VPN service in its Edge browser.”

2022-05-02