Google Updates Chrome’s Extension Policies in Light of the Honey Scandal

You might not have heard (although you probably have) about the Honey extension scandal that has been going on for a couple of months now? Well, it is a major online scandal and it seems that the first reactions are coming, as Google has decided to react.

As for Honey, Chrome users will probably know that it is a Pay-Pal-based browser extension whose main goal was to provide users with coupons and savings without having to do any in-depth browsing. It seemed like a really nice idea, but it turned out that it was a major scam.

It turns out that there are two main issues with the Honey extension. The first issue was that the extension did not actually find the best coupons and codes as it was supposed to. It often actually put its own, affiliated coupons in front of more beneficial ones. This was discovered via a simple Google search that would immediately reveal better deals for the users.

The second issue – and more relevant here – is that Honey sniped referral revenue from its creators by adding affiliate information, even when there were no coupons that could be found for said transaction.

And while the consequences of this whole affair are yet to be seen, Google has already reacted by changing its policies:

Affiliate links, codes, or cookies must only be included when the extension provides a direct and transparent user benefit related to the extension’s core functionality. It is not permitted to inject affiliate links without related user action and without providing a tangible benefit to users.

Some common violations include:

Inserting affiliate links when no discount, cashback, or donation is provided.

An extension that continuously injects affiliate links in the background without related user action.

The changes are a reaction to the second issue and we will see how effective these changes will be going forward.

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