In case you had no idea, before April Fools Day, Google allowed developers of Chrome browser extensions to mine cryptocurrency using your computer’s resources.
The company deemed it acceptable provided users of said extensions (read: you) were made “adequately” aware of the behaviour, and that the extension was not bundled with “unrelated functionality” like email notifiers or additional downloadable files.
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But the big G has now completely changed its stance.
Citing the abuse of its lenient guidelines, Google will will now cull Chrome extensions that mine cryptocurrency in any capacity.
“Existing extensions that mine cryptocurrency will be delisted from the Chrome Web Store in late June. Extensions with blockchain-related purposes other than mining will continue to be permitted in the Web Store,” it writes in an update.
For users who relied on this strategy instead of advertising banners and interstitial, this is a massive blow to their wallets.
Google cited “a rise in malicious extensions that appear to provide useful functionality on the surface, while embedding hidden cryptocurrency mining scripts that run in the background without the user’s consent,” as a chief reason for the change of heart.
Feature image: Google Chrome
