Google puts the screws to sneaky Chrome add-on installs

Google said that it would squash Chrome add-ons installed from websites if the extensions deployed what it called "deceptive tactics" to dupe its browser's users. The announcement was the latest in a long line of moves Google has made to tighten the screws on Chrome's extension ecosystem by restricting from where and how users can get add-ons for the popular browser.

"We're taking another step in our ongoing effort to protect Chrome users: disabling inline installation for extensions linked to deceptive sites and ads," wrote Andrew Kim and Ben Ackerman, of the browser's policy and anti-abuse team, on the Chromium blog. Google will switch off that installation technique on Sept. 3, Kim and Ackerman added.

Inline add-on installation has been supported by Google since Chrome 15 that version appeared in October 2011 and lets developers set their add-ons so that their customers can download and install extensions by clicking a link embedded in a website. Although the add-on must still be hosted on Google's Chrome Web Store, inline install is a convenience: Developers don't have to tell users to go to the store, but can snip some steps from the process.