Google Banning User Privacy-Defying Chrome ExtensionsByBill Toulas-July 24, 2019.202 Google ends the unauthorized access of Chrome extensions to user data. The deadline for this has been set in less than three months and that is no mistake. In the form of its “StrobeChrome Project extensions which do not value user privacy from its web store. More precisely, they will now only approve extensions to require access to only the specific data that they need to function and the absolute minimum amount of this information that will not adversely affect the quality of the service of the extension. In addition, all extensions will now have to formulate and publish their privacy policies explicitly, including how they manage personal communications and content generated by the user. Both developers of the extension will have to meet the new and tougher criteria until October 15, 2019 otherwise they will see their apps kicked out of the Chrome Web Store. Google recommends developers to move their current permissions to more narrowly scoped alternatives, because they will now have to provide a reason for all the declared permissions being included. Google will only enable the submission of new permissions with a new version number for the Chrome extension to help avoid silent updates which implement changes in user data handling functionality. For add-ons concerning chats or sensitive content uploaded by the user, developers will now be required to implement some sort of encrypted transmission layer in order to minimize the risk of compromising this data. As Techradar points out, outsecurity researcher Sam Jadali has revealed Hover Zoom SpeakIt’s malicious user data collection and selling activities! SuperZoom PanelMeasurement FairShare Unlock Helper SaveFrom.net and several other Chrome extensions. Documents like the one Jadali came up with can also result in heavy fines for Google as they are held liable for testing and approving the applications and extensions that go into their shop. That said, Google wants to define a much more stringent context for what browser extensions can access and enjoy relative peace of mind. This is terrific news for consumers.