Affiliate Industry Reacts to Google’s New Browser Extension Policy

Last week, Google announced new rules for browser extensions, distributing the update to Chrome developers.

The move appears to be a response to the recent debates around browser extensions, which were initially sparked by a video from YouTuber MegaLag.

Under the new rules, an extension may only inject an affiliate link if it provides clear value to the consumer. 

This change appears to address allegations that some extensions add affiliate links even when no discount or deal is available.

Whether this is a widespread practice or a matter of occasional, unintended errors remains unclear. Our own investigation did not reveal a definitive pattern either way.

Nevertheless, Google’s update appears to be a precautionary step to safeguard the last-click attribution model – an approach that, as we've discussed, has its own limitations.