Google Blocks Extensions Not Listed in the Chrome Web Store

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
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It took a while to implement, but Google finally announced this week that all extensions for Chrome will come from the Chrome Web Store or be blocked for Windows users. The move comes in an attempt to insure extensions contain no malicious software.

Ever since Google made its intentions for the Chrome Web Store clear, critics have complained that the move only turns Chrome into a walled garden.
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[strike=]The move comes in an attempt to insure extensions contain no malicious software.[/s]

The move comes in an attempt to control everything that everyone does.
 
Cobalt35 said:
[strike=]The move comes in an attempt to insure extensions contain no malicious software.[/s]

The move comes in an attempt to control everything that everyone does.
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Except other browsers based on the same code can include the option to install local extensions if they wish, including Chromium. ;) Considering the potential for abuse, and the fact that the default was to disallow it (and 99% of Chrome users don't know how to change flags anyways), it doesn't seem like a big deal for most users.

I looked for an option to disable this behavior in flags, but it really can't be turned off anymore in Chrome. It's used to check the extension signature installed with the one on the web store.
 
good. I actually got some sort of adware that installed as an extension. some AVs caught it and removed it but it kept coming back.
 
Quix said:
You must be one of the 5 people who use Firefox.
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I am and it's not because I like it or anything either. It's the default browser that's bundled with Linux Mint so I just use it because it's there already and I'm really like way too apathetic about browsers in general to load a different one.
 
DF-1 said:
good. I actually got some sort of adware that installed as an extension. some AVs caught it and removed it but it kept coming back.
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Many of the adware extensions I have to remove from customers' boxen do not come from the chrome add-in store. Of course, that's more of a problem of the idiot lusers who just click on everything.
 
Knight_of_BAAWA said:
Many of the adware extensions I have to remove from customers' boxen do not come from the chrome add-in store. Of course, that's more of a problem of the idiot lusers who just click on everything.
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which is why google is now requiring that all extensions come from their store...

and no, I don't click on everything, but thanks for the compliment.:rolleyes:
 
DF-1 said:
good. I actually got some sort of adware that installed as an extension. some AVs caught it and removed it but it kept coming back.
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Knight_of_BAAWA said:
Many of the adware extensions I have to remove from customers' boxen do not come from the chrome add-in store. Of course, that's more of a problem of the idiot lusers who just click on everything.
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The few adware extensions I've gotten came from updates to extensions hosted on the Chrome plugin store.
 
So is this to block Ad Block Plus since they purged them and their ilk from Android's Store?
 
Walled gardens are easier, cheaper and more convenient for a developer to maintain...which is why Apple has always been a huge fan of walled gardens...;) Of course, that doesn't necessarily translate to "better for the consumer" (which most often seems an afterthought at Apple...and now Google is following suit.)
 
WaltC said:
Walled gardens are easier, cheaper and more convenient for a developer to maintain...which is why Apple has always been a huge fan of walled gardens...;) Of course, that doesn't necessarily translate to "better for the consumer" (which most often seems an afterthought at Apple...and now Google is following suit.)
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I don't think the comparison with Apple and Google is good. Google is doing this from a security perspective, Apple from revenue. This isn't Google following Apple's lead.

If there were some sort of flag or option you could toggle to disable the check, then any malware that can manage to fire off will be able to flip that switch as well. I ran into a similar situation with Chrome hating a vendor's password plugin, so I'm not surprised to see this go a bit further.
 
CreepyUncleGoogle said:
I'm sure all 5 of the people who use Chrome will be upset about this.
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Uh huhhhh..........

Screen-Shot-2015-02-05-at-10.07.21-AM.png
 
nilepez said:
what is that? The IE marketshare doesn't make sense. I don't use IE for much, but it's got a bigger marketshare than Chrome and Safari.
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It prolly includes mobile browser results too. Most android devices identify themselves as Chrome (I think anywho) so that'd explain it since a lot of people have Google keeping an eye on what they're doing and where they're going via their phone these days. It'd make sense that's the case since Safari is explicitly noted as including mobile devices on that chart.

That said, I really don't think those things are very accurate measurements of anything as Chrome users tend to totally go out of their way to tout their use of that browser in order to like champion an imaginary cause. Apple/Safari users and IE users don't really give a crap so they aren't trying to color the results by making things seem favorable to them for bandwagon appeal. Firefox used to have that same slobber-y fan following of fanatical weirdos that were mainly banner-waving against Microsoft and IE, but the bulk of those of them that were young enough to be huge FF fans and still be alive today have moved over to Chrome which, I think, explains where the huge sideshow of creepy people come from anytime Chrome's otherwise insignificant user population becomes the subject of a discussion. Then again, I guess its good they get excited about a silly web browser and not something else (though who knows if those same people are activist-ing over other things and weird browser love is just symptomatic of some deeper problem).
 
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