In December, Google added some language to its policies that targeted rogue Chrome extensions designed to deliver ads by replacing links in existing web pages. The new policies were not scheduled to be enforced until June, but Google has already moved to ban two extensions that had effectively become vectors to deliver adware. Both Add to Feedly and Tweet This Page were removed from the Web Store.
In both cases, the extensions started out as legitimate tools developed to help users surfing the web. Add to Feedly‘s developer Amit Agarwal recently sold the extension only to realize a month later the new owners had started serving up ads using the extension. As he describes it, the ads were “invisible ads that work [in] the background and replace links.”
The move by advertisers to scoop up legitimate extensions and modify them to be ad-delivering tools is thought to be a growing problem based on the number of developers who are reporting several offers from advertisers for what are popular extensions.
As of this morning, a new version of Add to Feedly is available in the Chrome Web Store that claims to be free of the adware issues.
source: The Verge
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