Back in May of last year, Google started enforcing a policy that requires Chrome extensions be hosted on its Chrome Web Store, but only on Windows. The goal was to prevent malware hidden in extensions installable from outside its store, and it even started disabling extensions already installed on users’ systems that weren’t hosted on the Chrome Web Store. Now, Google says it will bring that requirement to Mac Chrome users over the coming months, as well as the Chrome developer channel for Windows that wasn’t previously enforcing the policy:
We originally did not enforce this policy on the Windows developer channel in order to allow developers to opt out. Unfortunately, we’ve since observed malicious software forcing users into the developer channel in order to install unwanted off-store extensions. Affected users are left with malicious extensions running on a Chrome channel they did not choose. As such, starting today we will begin enforcing this policy on all Windows channels.
Google notes that after first enabling the requirement for Windows it witnessed a “75% drop in customer support help requests for uninstalling unwanted extensions.”
Google says Mac support will start rolling out sometime in July of this year. Developers will still be able to install extensions without going through the store using “local extension installs during development as well as installs via Enterprise policy.”
Developers with extensions not yet on the Chrome Web Store can submit here.
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I like my Java to play my games if they remove that in Chrome they will not have my support
Open always wins.
This sucks. I use several extensions that are not on the Chrome store and will never be (ones that permit certain video/audio downloads, for example). Looks like I’ll migrate to Safari and Firefox then….
One of those put some unwanted bookmarks in my bookmarks bar. If they didn’t do that, I think they’d be allowed in the Chrome store?! Or is Google policing that store to remove apps that do things Google doesn’t necessarily want you to do?
Freedom from malware? Where have I heard that before?
Looks like they have no choice but to follow Apple’s app store model… I think it’s a good move. I am a developer and let’s say consider myself technically inclined but still managed to install some scamware extensions that put quick links on my bookmarks bar. Nasty stuff.