Microsoft Edge Copilot May Expose Browser Tabs

Microsoft’s Edge Copilot integration may have a serious privacy oversight. Recent testing revealed that Copilot can read information from inactive browser tabs, including text and form fields, even when the “Context clues” setting is turned off.

Microsoft Edge Copilot May Expose Browser Tab Contents

Copilot Accessed Data from Background Tabs

A Reddit user recently discovered that Edge Copilot could access non-focused tabs, as described in a post on the Microsoft subreddit.

The user tested the feature inside a virtual machine and asked Copilot what browser tabs were open. The assistant accurately listed pages that were not active, including one with a mock Microsoft support number.

This finding suggests Copilot has access to a serialized list of open tabs and their visible content. The issue appears tied to Edge’s broader context sharing features, which let the AI draw from page titles, snippets, and even form inputs to generate context aware answers.

Microsoft has been expanding this functionality as part of its effort to bring smarter AI browsing tools to Edge and enhance productivity.

Fake Bank Page Test Revealed Sensitive Input

The same user performed a second test involving a Bank of America login page loaded in another tab. Even though that page was not active, Copilot revealed both the username and password that had been entered.

The fields were simple HTML input elements, one of which used the password type attribute to hide its content. This behavior contradicts Copilot’s own system instructions, which specify that it can only view the page currently open in the active tab. It also raises questions about privacy controls, particularly for sensitive websites.

Turning Off Context Clues Made Things Worse

When the “Context clues” option was disabled, Edge displayed a popup message stating that Copilot uses the current webpage, open tabs, and browsing history to provide more relevant help. Selecting “Continue” effectively re enabled broad data sharing, after which Copilot again exposed tab information and unmasked the same form fields.

This behavior highlights a potential design flaw in how Edge handles consent for AI context sharing. While Microsoft continues to test other enhancements like visual search integration on Windows 11 and improved tab search, privacy focused users may find these AI connections concerning.

Potential Privacy and Security Implications

The discovery suggests that Edge Copilot’s sidebar may access information beyond the active tab, potentially including private or sensitive data.

This raises compliance and transparency concerns, particularly for banking or authentication pages where strict isolation should apply.

Microsoft Response and Next Steps

This oversight was first spotted by a single user during independent testing in a virtual machine, and it is not yet clear whether Microsoft is aware of the issue or has begun investigating it.

We have tried to replicate this issue, and during our brief testing, Copilot was unable to retrieve data from the password field, which led us to believe that this was just a temporary glitch.

As of now, the company has not released a public statement addressing Copilot’s ability to access data from inactive browser tabs.

Until more information emerges, privacy conscious users are advised to treat Edge Copilot’s integration carefully, especially when handling sensitive web pages or login forms.