• Home
  • Apps
  • Apps News
  • Google Removes Some IAC Chrome Browser Extensions for 'Policy Violations'

Google Removes Some IAC Chrome Browser Extensions for 'Policy Violations'

Google's investigators found that IAC's browser extensions often promise functions they do not deliver.

Google Removes Some IAC Chrome Browser Extensions for 'Policy Violations'

The IAC spokeswoman said Google had approved its extensions in the Chrome Store for years

Highlights
  • An IAC spokeswoman disputed that the extensions violated Google policies
  • Google has not acted on the internal recommendation of its Chrome trust
  • The WSJ reported Google was deciding whether to impose severe penalties
Advertisement

Alphabet's Google said on Sunday it has removed a number of browser extensions of online conglomerate IAC/InterActive for "policy violations" and is reviewing "enforcement options."

"We continue to have conversations with IAC related to Chrome Web Store policies and we have already removed a number of their extensions for violating our policies", a Google spokesman said in a statement emailed to Reuters.

"We're reviewing the remaining extensions and our enforcement options, and have not made a decision regarding IAC's status on the store", the statement added.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that Google was deciding whether to impose severe penalties on IAC over what Google concluded were "deceptive marketing practices".

The report added that Google determined that IAC misled users about its browser extensions and that the Alphabet unit could go as far as banning those products from its Chrome browser.

In the statement to Reuters, Google's spokesman did not specify which precise policies it felt were violated by IAC and did not mention what exact options it was considering.

An IAC spokeswoman disputed that the extensions violated Google policies. "Google has taken hundreds of millions of dollars from us to advertise and distribute these products in the Chrome Store," she told Reuters in an emailed statement.

"There's nothing new here, Google has used their position to reduce our browser business to the last small corner of the Internet, which they're now seeking to quash," the statement added.

Google's investigators found that IAC's browser extensions often promise functions they do not deliver and steer users toward extra ads, the WSJ reported, citing sources and documents.

Google so far has not acted on the internal recommendation of its Chrome trust and safety team regarding IAC in part because the two are rivals in some categories and because Google executives are concerned penalties could be viewed as anti-competitive, the newspaper reported.

The IAC spokeswoman said Google had approved its extensions in the Chrome Store for years as part of the companies' partnership agreement.

"Google exercises significant control over what we do with these products", she said in the statement.

© Thomson Reuters 2020
 


Are Micromax In 1b, In Note 1 good enough to take the brand to the top in India?? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Google, Google Chrome, IAC
Western Digital on Storage Solutions Paradigm Shift and How It Is Fueling Industries in India and Abroad
Share on Facebook Gadgets360 Twitter Share Tweet Snapchat Share Reddit Comment google-newsGoogle News
 
 

Advertisement

Follow Us

Advertisement

© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2024. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »