Alteration in Chrome Policy for Shopping Extensions: Implications for Your Browsing Experience
In the heat of a PayPal's Honey browser extension debacle, Google Chrome has taken a stand, revising its extension policies to nix the sneaky strategies that Honey was allegedly utilizing. These revised affiliate ad policies appear to directly counter many of the tactics Honey was accused of employing, such as covertly embedding affiliate codes without offering any discounts. Given that Chrome is the powerhouse behind most current browsers, this move is bound to shake up the shopping extension realm.
If you're not up-to-speed on the Honey controversy, a thorough investigation by YouTuber MegaLag exposed some fishy behavior. Honey faced accusations of allowing retailers to control which discount codes users could access, denying the best deals available. To add to the controversy, it was also discovered that Honey surreptitiously inserted its own affiliate codes in every shopping site visited, replacing other affiliate codes in the process, thus snatching other's commissions. To make matters worse, Honey confirmed these practices to MegaLag.
Under Google's revised affiliate ads policy, extensions are now barred from adding affiliate links, codes, or cookies without providing a perceptible advantage to users. Extensions must also clearly outline their affiliate policy before installation, both in the user interface and on the Chrome Web Store page. Google provided examples of common policy violations to help developers stay on the right side of the law, advising that extensions cannot insert affiliate links without offering discounts or cashback rewards, and that extensions cannot insert affiliate links covertly without "related user action".
As a result of these new policies, Honey, along with other deal-finding extensions, will need to adjust their methods to comply. If your go-to shopping-related browser extension faces the chopping block due to Google's new policies, you can still employ alternative price comparison tools. Lifehacker's resident deals expert, Daniel Oropeza, has a listing of his top price-tracking picks for your perusal. This includes a few browser extensions and even a price-tracking tool by Honey (don't worry, this one is not a browser extension), all of which are incredibly useful for bargain hunters. Personally, I'm partial to Slickdeals, a site I've sworn by for over a decade to find fantastic deals. I value Slickdeals less for its price tracking and more for its active community. The best deals receive the most upvotes, while comments below each deal help me swiftly determine whether a deal is truly irresistible.
- The updated Google Chrome extension policies, implemented in response to the PayPal's Honey browser extension debacle, prohibit extensions from adding affiliate links, codes, or cookies without providing a clear advantage to users, thereby addressing the practices Honey was accused of employing.
- Given that Google Chrome is the powerhouse behind most current browsers, the revised affiliate ad policies aiming to curb unsavory behaviors by extensions like Honey are expected to have significant ramifications on the shopping extension realm in the tech industry.
- As Honey, along with other deal-finding extensions, faces the need to adjust their methods to comply with Google's new policies, alternative price comparison tools such as Slickdeals, a site with an active community, can still be utilized by savvy shoppers to find great deals online.
