Google changes Chrome extension policies in wake of Honey controversy

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Remember when everyone thought PayPal’s Honey browser extension was just a harmless way to save a few bucks? Turns out things weren’t as simple as they seemed. What started as a helpful coupon tool quickly turned into a full-blown scandal when creators discovered that Honey was allegedly hijacking their affiliate commissions.

Honey, which PayPal bought for $4 billion in 2020, was accused of secretly swapping influencers' affiliate links with its own. That means content creators who promoted products with their own commission links might have had those links overridden by Honey, funneling the money straight to PayPal instead. This sparked outrage, especially since some of these same influencers had previously been sponsored by Honey.

Now, following the controversy, Google has updated its policies for Chrome extensions, making it clear that sneaky affiliate link injections won’t be tolerated. One major change requires that any affiliate program be described prominently in the product’s Chrome Web Store page user interface before installation.

Google also tightened its rules on when and how extensions can modify links.

Google changes Chrome extension policies in wake of Honey controversy

Google has updated its Chrome extensions policies, which now require transparency in how extensions use affiliate links.

www.neowin.net

 

[oldschool]

There's no such thing as a free lunch. Or a bucket of honey.

 

[Pat MacKnife]

Save the bucket of honey for winnie the pooh