Google has updated its rules after the Honey scandal: What has changed?

At the beginning of the year, the Honey extension scandal shook the internet, revealing controversial practices in affiliate marketing. In response, Google has updated its policies for Chrome extensions, tightening the rules around how they can use affiliate links. These changes aim to ensure transparency and protect online creators from unfair revenue losses.

Stricter rules for affiliate links in Chrome extensions

Google’s new policy states that extensions can only include affiliate links when they provide a clear and direct benefit to users. This means that extensions must ensure that affiliate links serve a legitimate purpose, such as offering discounts, cashback, or donations.

The updated rules explicitly prohibit inserting affiliate links in the background without user action or when no actual benefit is provided. These changes address concerns raised by online creators who accused Honey of replacing their affiliate links without consent, ultimately diverting their earnings.

Transparency requirements for user interactions

Another major update in Google’s policy requires that users must be explicitly aware of any affiliate link usage before it is applied. Extensions can no longer modify shopping-related cookies or replace affiliate codes in URLs without a user-triggered action.

For example, the policy now bans automatic updates of shopping cookies or affiliate codes without the user’s knowledge, closing loopholes that some extensions, including Honey, were allegedly exploiting. Google’s decision to enforce these measures significantly impacts how extensions handle affiliate marketing, ensuring a fairer environment for both users and content creators.

With legal action still ongoing against Honey, Google’s new rules mark a decisive step toward eliminating exploitative tactics, preventing a repeat of the controversy that unfolded earlier this year.