Not wanting to share Facebook's fate, Google puts devs on data diet, tightens lid on cookie jar

Google on Thursday announced plans to tighten its requirements for developers of Chrome extensions and apps that utilize the Drive API as part of a previously announced re-evaluation of third-party access to Google user data. The Chocolate Factory said that in the fall Chrome extensions will only be allowed to request the …

[Blockchain commentard]

"Our top priority is to protect user data and keep it safe," - safe for us to sell to advertisers and not get the cash cow diluted by Johnny-come-lately startups using our tactics and attitudes to user privacy.

[Ian Michael Gumby]

@Blockchain commentard...

Say it aint so.

You mean that Google's protection of us poor users is really a way to set up a barrier to competition?

That Google is for privacy laws that stop start ups but would have no impact on them because they don't sell the data to others just use it internally to their own ad network?

(Do I really need to add the sarcasm tags?)

[Voidstorm]

Summary...

Google slurpage to continue;

Ad Blocking to be disabled;

Third party dev's to be hindered.

Riiiiiiight. Great News! /sarcasm

[K]

Thanks el-reg...

First off, I go to extreme means to remove that blight from my devices, even on my work laptop, where they block all except a few "approved" chrome extension (and Ad Blockers don't make the list).. They still shall not pass (If I can't do it at browser level, I'll do it at the OS, then Network levels).

I guess than means, I'm a massive cock, sorry typo, I meant ad-block user.

Whilst I'm still pissed at the move.. it was nice to actually get some context as to Google's motivation for this, where til now it has mainly been evangelists shouting "Evil.. Greed.. Money.."

[DropBear]

This is next to useless. Yes, some apps just blatantly require every permission under the sun for no clear reason just because they can - except doing just that pretty much flags them for anyone interested to check as "stay the hell away from"; the real problem is that most apps have zero problems bolting on every feature including the kitchen sink that does actually justify asking access to also every permission under the sun - they're doing something with it all right, it's just impossible to tell whether they also slurp your entire phone in the process. Heck, you can write something as dumb as a torch app, and if you make it ad-supported it will suddenly have a "legitimate" need to full network access, precise location and heck knows what else - just because the ad libs require it...