14 DAY TRIAL // Google has recently announced that Chrome browser extensions mining cryptocurrency would no longer be allowed in the Chrome Web Store.
As a result, no new submissions will be accepted, while the existing extensions that are already available for download will be removed by the end of June.
Previously, Google allowed cryptocurrency miners in the Chrome Web Store as long as this was their sole purpose and they specifically informed users about it, but the rise of malicious add-ons that did nothing else than to eat CPU resources in order to run mining scripts in the background made the search giant change its mind.
Google says these miners substantially impacted the experience with Chrome browser, as they increased CPU usage, while also slowing down the systems and reducing battery life.
“Unfortunately, approximately 90% of all extensions with mining scripts that developers have attempted to upload to Chrome Web Store have failed to comply with these policies, and have been either rejected or removed from the store,” James Wagner, Extensions Platform Product Manager, explained.
Blockchain-related extensions still allowed
Google says it will continue to allow Chrome extensions that in one way or another are related to the blockchain but mining itself would no longer be permitted.
“The extensions platform provides powerful capabilities that have enabled our developer community to build a vibrant catalog of extensions that help users get the most out of Chrome. Unfortunately, these same capabilities have attracted malicious software developers who attempt to abuse the platform at the expense of users,” Wagner continued.
Google Chrome is right now the world’s number one desktop browser with a share that exceeds 60%, while the runner-up is Mozilla’s Firefox with a little over 10%. Microsoft’s Edge, which has often been promoted as the top alternative to Chrome, is still far from becoming a powerful alternative, as its share stays at around 5% despite being offered in Windows 10 as default.
