How to know if a Google Chrome extension is safe

Chrome extensions are very useful, but you have to be careful what you install on your device. Here’s how to find out if a particular extension is safe.

Chrome extensions are very useful. They can help you write flawlessly, get rid of ads, save money on shopping, and more. However, like Android apps in the Play Store, extensions in the Chrome Web Store aren’t always what they seem. Malware is something to be wary of and you wouldn’t want to compromise the security and privacy of your device by installing an ad blocker.

Google recognizes that the quality and security of Chrome extensions are inconsistent. It is for this reason that the American giant has set up a system for identifying and verifying extensions and creators. If you’re looking for extensions, you may see two new icons, each offering interesting information about the extension and/or its developer.

Icon selection

The Choice icon appears in blue along with a special icon on some extensions. According to Google, the company awards this badge to extensions that “comply with our technical best practices and provide a high level of user experience and design.”What’s interesting about this icon is that it’s a sign that the extension has been reviewed by members of the Chrome team. This distinction is not attributed to any algorithm.

The members responsible for this mission evaluate the quality of the extension’s overview page, whether it performs well for those who downloaded it, whether it uses the latest Chrome APIs, and perhaps most importantly, whether it respects user privacy. While Google doesn’t have the best reputation in this segment, it’s good to see that the company is making sure that extensions don’t steal your data.

Publisher’s Good Story Badge

When Google believes that a publisher has been following the giant’s recommendations for some time and that its identity has been verified, the Mountain View firm awards it a good publisher story badge. This is displayed as a small checkmark next to the publisher’s site. This badge is another good way to trust the extension as it means that Google knows who the publisher is. If the latter tries to do something dishonest, the account will be deleted.

What else can you do to make sure a Chrome extension is safe?

Even with these two icons, you should still proceed with caution:

• Read the entire description so you know exactly what you are about to install and what it is for.
• Examine the permissions requested by the extension. If you feel there is no reason for such an extension to access your camera, for example, that’s a red flag.
• Analyze the developer site, which is always listed on the extension page in the store. If you feel like something is wrong or the site doesn’t match the plugin, trust yourself and move on.
• Read the comments. If other users have had a bad experience with the extension, they will most likely complain about it in the comments. If most of the comments are old and you can’t find the latest ones, forget about this extension. Also make sure that the extensions you install are up to date, this reduces the risk of them being corrupted.