# Google Takes Action Against Chrome Shopping Extensions After Honey Controversy
## Stricter Guidelines to Curb Affiliate Link Abuse
Google is sharpening its regulations on Chrome shopping extensions in the wake of a significant issue involving PayPal’s Honey extension. The tech powerhouse has rolled out new guidelines to promote transparency and curb misleading practices surrounding affiliate links and shopping cookies.
### **What Sparked the Intervention?**
The initiative is a reaction to discoveries that Honey, a well-known coupon-finding tool, was covertly altering affiliate links. Rather than simply assisting users in locating discounts, the extension was substituting original affiliate links with its own—redirecting commissions that were meant for content creators and influencers.
This action resulted in online creators, who depend on affiliate marketing revenue, unintentionally losing their income to Honey. The outcry following this revelation led Google to take decisive measures and establish stricter rules for Chrome extensions.
### **Google’s Revised Guidelines for Shopping Extensions**
To avert comparable situations, Google has revamped its policies governing Chrome Web Store extensions. The updated rules, detailed on Google’s [developer portal](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/webstore/program-policies/affiliate-ads), include several essential limitations:
– **No unauthorized affiliate link alterations** – Extensions are prohibited from adding or modifying affiliate links without explicit user consent.
– **No interference with shopping cookies** – Extensions must not adjust shopping cookies to manipulate commissions.
– **Affiliate links must offer direct advantages** – Extensions may only utilize affiliate links if they provide concrete benefits, such as actual discounts or cashback.
– **User-triggered actions are necessary** – Affiliate links can only be incorporated following a user taking a specific action, such as using a coupon code.
These regulations are designed to prevent misleading activities, such as covertly altering URLs, switching out promo codes, or replacing existing affiliate links without the user’s awareness.
### **A Victory for Transparency and Online Creators**
The Honey controversy revealed a vulnerability that allowed shopping extensions to take advantage of affiliate marketing frameworks. By enforcing these new rules, Google is ensuring that Chrome extensions function transparently and ethically.
For users, this translates to a more reliable browsing experience, where shopping tools genuinely assist in saving money instead of secretly profiting at their expense. For content creators and influencers, it marks progress toward safeguarding their rightful earnings from affiliate arrangements.
With these adjustments, Google is reaffirming its dedication to user trust and equitable online commerce, transforming the Chrome Web Store into a safer environment for shoppers and creators alike.
