Strengthening Our Policies on Affiliate Programs in Chrome Extensions

https://developer.chrome.com/docs/webstore/program-policies/affiliate-ads

by quintu5 • 1 year ago

2 2 1 year ago

developer.chrome.com

quintu5• 1 year ago

Looks like Google's making some policy changes in response to the Honey drama. The new portion of the policy is item 2 in the updated Affiliate Ads policy.

Here's the full text of the email they sent out to extension developers:

---

Announcement: Strengthening Our Policies on Affiliate Programs in Chrome Extensions

Dear Developer,

As part of our ongoing efforts to improve the extension ecosystem, we are updating our Affiliate Ads Policy to further clarify how affiliate links, codes, and cookies can be used in Chrome extensions.

What’s Changing? The updated policy ensures that affiliate links are only included when they provide a direct and transparent benefit to users. This means that extensions cannot inject affiliate links when no actual value—such as a discount, cashback, or relevant offer—is being provided.

Under this policy, an extension must not add, modify, or replace affiliate links unless:

The affiliate program is clearly disclosed on the Chrome Web Store listing, in the user interface, and before installation. User action is required before any affiliate link, code, or cookie is applied. The affiliate link is tied to a direct benefit for the user at that moment. For example, an extension that finds and applies coupon codes must not insert an affiliate link if no coupon or discount is found. This prevents extensions from monetizing users without delivering a clear value in return.

Why This Matters This update helps maintain a healthy ecosystem by ensuring that affiliate monetization is aligned with user benefit. Users should always be in control of their browsing experience and understand how extensions interact with the websites they visit. By enforcing these requirements, we aim to protect users from deceptive practices while allowing high-quality, value-driven extensions to thrive.

What These Updates Mean for Developers Developers should review their extensions to ensure compliance with the updated policy. If your extension uses affiliate links, make sure they are only applied when they directly benefit users and that all required disclosures are in place.

We encourage developers to update their extensions as soon as possible. Enforcement of the new policy will begin June 10th 2025, and extensions found in violation may be subject to removal from the Chrome Web Store.

For more details on these updates and to access the revised policies, visit our Developer Policy Center.

Let us know your thoughts on these changes, and as always, thank you for being part of the Chrome Web Store community!

- The Google Chrome Web Store team

myroon5• 1 year ago

dupe: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43338083

Strengthening Our Policies on Affiliate Programs in Chrome Extensions

Related Stories