Google removes two Chrome ad blocker extensions caught 'cookie stuffing'

Venustus

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Google has removed today two extensions from the Chrome Web Store. The two extensions were fully functional ad blockers, but they tried to deceive users by using the names of other more reputable ad blocker extensions.
But besides using misleading names to hijack and deceive other extensions' userbases, the two -- "AdBlock" by "AdBlock, Inc" and "uBlock" by "Charlie Lee" -- were also caught performing cookie stuffing.
Cookie stuffing is an old technique where a website or browser extension adds extra information to a user's cookie. The technique is often used in affiliate marketing to hijack traffic from its legitimate source.
The two extensions were modifying cookies files when users visited certain websites and adding a parameter that would ensure the extension authors would earn a commission from any payments users made on the sites.


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