Google Chrome Web Store Updates

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Dear Developer,

We are announcing a set of policy updates designed to encourage the development of high quality products, prevent deceptive behavior, and ensure informed user consent. These updates include:

Minimum Functionality Policy Update—Expands our current Minimum Functionality Policy to include click-baity template extensions, empty extensions, and extensions that do not directly provide their stated functionality.
Misleading and Deceptive Behavior Policy Update—Prohibits anti-virus, privacy, and security extensions that provide no discernible protection or monitoring.
Affiliate Ads Policy—Establishes new disclosure requirements for extensions that include affiliate ad programs. Developers will now be required to disclose any affiliate programs to users before installation. Additionally, related user action is required before the inclusion of affiliate codes, links, or cookies.
Developers can also learn more about today's guidance in our Program Policies. These policy clarifications will go into effect on January 15, 2023. After that date, extensions in violation of these new policies may be removed from the Chrome Web Store and be disabled.

If you have any questions, you can contact developer support.

Thank you for your cooperation, and for your participation in the Chrome extension ecosystem!

- The Google Chrome Web Store team
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Dear Developer,

As part of the rollout for the redesign of the Chrome Web Store, extension categories have been expanded from a list of eleven to a new list of seventeen in three category groups (“Productivity”, “Lifestyle”, and “Make Chrome Yours”). You selected the category for your extension on the Developer Dashboard under Store Listing when you uploaded your extension. Starting today, all extensions are shown in a new category, but we invite you to review, and if necessary, revise the new category assigned to your extension. Categories on the Chrome Web Store help users discover new items to fit their needs, and help us organize content and build collections for users based on use cases or narratives.

- The Google Chrome Web Store team
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Damn. It really does require a redesign. But Google would make it worse so there's that.
 
Dear Developer,

The stats shown to you in the developer dashboard (for example, item impressions) have historically been saved indefinitely. This has allowed you to see all the metrics for your item since it was first published on the Chrome Web Store.

Beginning March 28, 2024, we will apply a 5-year retention period to all viewable stats on the Developer Dashboard. Data older than 5 years will be deleted.

If you want to retain stats that are older than five years, you can do so using the "Export to CSV" buttons located beneath all of the data panels in the Analytics section of the Developer Dashboard. You will need to do this before the retention period changes on March 28, 2024.

Thank you for your cooperation and participation in the Chrome extension ecosystem.

- The Google Chrome Web Store team​
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Dear Developer,

The Chrome Web Store is introducing updates to our policies for extensions using MV3. These updates expand the possibilities to load remote content within your extension, while remaining in compliance with our remotely hosted code policies. Here is a guide on the changes and what they mean for your extension development:

1. Self-Contained Functionality: A Focus on Transparency

The core principle remains: the full functionality of your extension should be easily discernible from the submitted code. It is critical to ensure that the logic driving your extension is well-defined within its codebase.

2. External Resource Usage: Striking a Balance

Extensions can still reference and load data from external sources, but these resources must not contain any logic. Extensions are permitted to execute logic from remote sources only through documented APIs like the Debugger API and User Scripts API. This strikes a balance between flexibility and security, allowing external data without compromising the transparent nature of your extension's functionality.

3. Isolated Contexts: Exemptions and Responsibilities

Code running in isolated contexts, such as iframes and sandboxed pages, is exempt from certain restrictions on loading code from remote sources. However, it's crucial to maintain transparency. The full functionality of your extension should still be discernible in these contexts.

4. Review Process Consequences: A Note on Enforcement

If we are unable to determine the full functionality of your extension during the review process, we may take appropriate action. Submissions that lack clarity or violate policies might be rejected or removed from the Chrome Web Store.

You can learn more about today’s guidance in our Program Policies. These policy clarifications will go into effect on April 15, 2024. After that date, extensions in violation of these new policies may be removed from the Chrome Web Store and be disabled.

If you have any questions, you can contact developer support.

Thank you for your cooperation, and for your participation in the Chrome extension ecosystem!

- The Google Chrome Web Store team
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