Amid the fallout from the controversy involving PayPal’s Honey browser extension, Google Chrome has revised its policies to eliminate behaviors that the extension was reported to engage in. The recently updated policies concerning extensions and affiliate ads appear to directly address several tactics associated with Honey, such as embedding affiliate codes without offering discounts. Considering that Chrome is the backbone of the majority of browsers today, this change is likely to have significant consequences for shopping extensions in the future.

For those unfamiliar with the Honey situation, a prolonged investigation by YouTuber MegaLag has revealed surprising evidence about its operations. Honey faced allegations of enabling retailers to dictate which discount codes users could access, thereby obstructing users from identifying the best available deals, despite proclaiming otherwise. The extension was found to be inserting its affiliate codes across various shopping sites, even replacing existing affiliate codes with its own, essentially siphoning off commissions intended for others. Furthermore, Honey confirmed to MegaLag that it deliberately engages in some of these controversial practices.

Under Chrome’s new affiliate ad policies, extensions are prohibited from adding affiliate links, codes, or cookies unless they provide a clear benefit to users. Extensions must now explicitly outline their affiliate practices prior to installation, within the user interface, and on the Chrome Web Store page. Google has clarified some common infractions to assist developers, stressing that extensions cannot insert affiliate links without offering corresponding discounts or cash-back options. Additionally, the introduction of affiliate links must not occur in the background without a “related user action.”

This policy implies that extensions cannot insert shopping-related cookies while users browse without proper notification. They are also barred from inserting or replacing affiliate or promo codes without the user’s consent. As a result, Honey and similar extensions that aid users in finding optimal deals will need to adjust their operational strategies to remain compliant with these regulations.