Microsoft has recently launched the Bing Wallpaper app on the Windows Store, providing an official solution for changing desktop wallpapers daily. The app features a variety of images from around the globe that have appeared on the Bing homepage, but it seems to come with several dubious hidden functions when installed on a Windows PC.
While some third-party software companies might include questionable functionalities and hidden payloads, Microsoft users expect higher standards. When similar behaviour is observed in Microsoft’s products, it tends to provoke a swift and highly negative reaction from Windows users.
There are some serious security and privacy concerns with the Bing Wallpaper app. The app not only automatically installs Bing Visual Search but also contains code to decrypt cookies stored in other browsers. Additionally, it introduces a ‘free’ geolocation web API to the system.
A developer found numerous concerning features embedded in Bing Wallpapers by Microsoft. These include attempting to alter the browser settings and set Edge as the default system browser. If Edge isn’t the default browser, the app will eventually prompt the default browser to enable the previously installed Microsoft Bing Search extension for Chrome.