Google Chrome browser recently made a policy update. This prevents browser extensions from interacting with affiliate codes. As a result, the actions of the controversial PayPal Honey extension were banned at the same time.
The update was announced by Google this week, which shared how such a change would alter how extensions can interact with different affiliate codes through a browser. As per the the guidelines, the extensions can’t include any kind of codes, cookies, or affiliate links without direct or transparent benefits to users.
As per the tech giant, codes, cookies, and affiliate links are a part of the extension and they provide direct benefits to the extension’s core feature. It’s not allowed to add any kind of affiliate links without user actions. Also, it would against the guidelines if they aren’t going to give the user any sort of tangible benefits.
Some of the most commonly seen violations include adding affiliate links without any discounts, donations, or cashback offerings. Also, an extension that keeps on injecting affiliate links into the background is a part of this without any type of actions by the related user.
This directly affects the behavior of the honey extension by PayPal that was exposed in the past year for hijacking affiliate codes when the user interacted with the extension in any form. Honey utilizes affiliate codes for subsidizing the service of coupon codes. But the extension was caught adding the affiliate code via Honey. Even if users just click on a button to shut Honey, this extension inserts the affiliate code at that same time.
Now, Google is putting a ban on such practices. The new policy update explains how extensions adding such affiliates do so after action by the related user. So it’s in turn targeting all of Honey’s practices.
Related user actions are needed before including affiliate codes, links, or cookies. Some common violations listed by Google include extensions updating shopping cookies without user consent while they shop online.
Second, an extension appending affiliate codes for the URL that replaces existing affiliate codes on a URL without the user’s knowledge. Lastly, any extension that adds or removes affiliate promo codes without a user’s knowledge or based on their actions.
Remember, all extensions need to reveal if and when they’re using the affiliate programs on the Chrome Web Store. So many extensions, including Honey, used affiliates without anyone noticing so they were making huge sums of money.
The incident led to serious backlash that overshadowed the main issue. This was linked to taking over codes that didn’t have any real referral shared. The same goes for working with companies to restrict the figure for coupon codes revealed via an extension.
As far as Honey goes, it’s still up for grabs through the Chrome Web Store. The userbase has reached 17M, which is down from 18M in the previous year. When a YouTube video first shared extension tactics, it ended up losing up to 3 million users.
Image: DIW-Aigen
Read next: ChatGPT Can’t Keep Up: Google Handles 373x More Traffic and Keeps Growing
The update was announced by Google this week, which shared how such a change would alter how extensions can interact with different affiliate codes through a browser. As per the the guidelines, the extensions can’t include any kind of codes, cookies, or affiliate links without direct or transparent benefits to users.
As per the tech giant, codes, cookies, and affiliate links are a part of the extension and they provide direct benefits to the extension’s core feature. It’s not allowed to add any kind of affiliate links without user actions. Also, it would against the guidelines if they aren’t going to give the user any sort of tangible benefits.
Some of the most commonly seen violations include adding affiliate links without any discounts, donations, or cashback offerings. Also, an extension that keeps on injecting affiliate links into the background is a part of this without any type of actions by the related user.
This directly affects the behavior of the honey extension by PayPal that was exposed in the past year for hijacking affiliate codes when the user interacted with the extension in any form. Honey utilizes affiliate codes for subsidizing the service of coupon codes. But the extension was caught adding the affiliate code via Honey. Even if users just click on a button to shut Honey, this extension inserts the affiliate code at that same time.
Now, Google is putting a ban on such practices. The new policy update explains how extensions adding such affiliates do so after action by the related user. So it’s in turn targeting all of Honey’s practices.
Related user actions are needed before including affiliate codes, links, or cookies. Some common violations listed by Google include extensions updating shopping cookies without user consent while they shop online.
Second, an extension appending affiliate codes for the URL that replaces existing affiliate codes on a URL without the user’s knowledge. Lastly, any extension that adds or removes affiliate promo codes without a user’s knowledge or based on their actions.
Remember, all extensions need to reveal if and when they’re using the affiliate programs on the Chrome Web Store. So many extensions, including Honey, used affiliates without anyone noticing so they were making huge sums of money.
The incident led to serious backlash that overshadowed the main issue. This was linked to taking over codes that didn’t have any real referral shared. The same goes for working with companies to restrict the figure for coupon codes revealed via an extension.
As far as Honey goes, it’s still up for grabs through the Chrome Web Store. The userbase has reached 17M, which is down from 18M in the previous year. When a YouTube video first shared extension tactics, it ended up losing up to 3 million users.
Read next: ChatGPT Can’t Keep Up: Google Handles 373x More Traffic and Keeps Growing
