Google Chrome no longer accepts installation of extensions that are not in its virtual store

• 29 May 2014
• by: Bruno Bandeira
• in: hackers,Internet
• Tags: Chrome, Google
• note: no comments

Last November, Google announced that it would no longer accept the installation of extensions that were not hosted on the Chrome Web Store on its browser starting in January. It took a few months, but the restriction went into effect today.

In a post on the Chrome blog, Erik Kay, director of engineering for the browser, explained Google's motivation to restrict extensions in its Windows version. It's all about security, and apparently a lot of malware infects computers from extensions installed outside the Web Store. To ensure the safety of its users, therefore, Google decided to do away with the possibility of installing add-ons from alternative sources.

Those who have extensions installed outside of the Web Store should note that their functioning will change soon – this is because they will be automatically disabled and will only be able to work again when they are hosted on the Web Store.

But what about developers who want to test their extensions? Google will maintain support from corporate policies – this article explains exactly what to do.