Google tells Chrome extension devs to declare their code's usage of personal data

Hot on the heels of Apple slapping privacy "nutrition labels" on app listing pages in its App Store, Google says it plans to require similar privacy disclosures from those offering Chrome extensions in its Chrome Web Store. Starting in January, 2021, the Chrome Web Store listing pages for extensions will display developer- …

[tiggity]

Glad you pinpointed the important bit rather than the lie about caring about privacy

i.e.

"The Chrome Web Store policy changes coincide with a related effort, Manifest v3, to revise Chrome extension APIs so they're less powerful – making them less suitable for abuse but also less useful for content blocking."

Still, it will drive more people to pi-hole, 60K+ host files (based on the one I use for ad blocking) , proxies with url filtering or similar if ad block extensions no longer work on chrome.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Glad you pinpointed the important bit rather than the lie about caring about privacy

Why do you think they've been heading towards DoH?

[KittenHuffer]

Do as we say .... not as we do!

[Anonymous Coward]

Indeed. My very first thought was "Pot, kettle"...

[John Brown (no body)]

My irony meter ---------------------->

[Anonymous Coward]

The hypocrisy is breathtaking.

[Chris G]

It's a question of turf.

If apps and extensions are slurping and selling data from users, that is encroaching on Google's sales,

So by forcing Dev's to be clear about slurping and preventing them from selling or sharing your data with third parties they are limiting competition.

Not as cuddly as they would like you to think.

[DS999]

Yep, Google wants to be the only one doing slurping. And if they can reduce the usage or efficacy of pro privacy extensions as a side effect by making them sound scary, all the better!

[Pascal Monett]

Still, it's nice to see them at least mouthing the words

Of course, I fully expect Google to lead the way by implementing those disclosures in its own products.

Now, if only I could get rid of some of those infernal un-stoppable Google apps, I'd just might start being happy about having a smartphone.

[Howard Sway]

Stop slurping personal information

because you might make money from that personal information that could have gone to us instead.