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Tech giant Microsoft is testing a built-in VPN feature for Edge Canary that allows users to securely connect to public Wi-Fi networks.

Microsoft Edge Secure network is now available for select users of Edge Canary. It protects people's data by masking a device's IP address, encrypting user data, and routing web connections through a secured network, reports Windows Central.

Microsoft Edge Secure Network was already available for some Edge Canary users, but Microsoft officially announced the feature on May 12.

The tool, which is powered by Cloudflare, makes it more difficult for internet service providers (ISPs) to collect browsing data. It also prevents advertisers from using your information to show targeted ads.

The report said that Microsoft will give users 1GB of free data each month, at least while the feature is in preview. It is unclear if Microsoft will remove this free allotment in the future.

Streaming video will use up data more quickly than generally browsing the web, so it would be wise to use Secure Network's controls to customise when you enable the tool, as per the report.

In areas where VPNs are allowed, Secure Network will connect devices to a "local data centre and the IP address your browsing data flows through will be geographically similar to your actual region", according to Microsoft.

This will protect privacy because it won't share your IP address, but it will not allow you to pretend to be in another region.