Google’s about to make it even easier to figure out whether a Chrome extension is actually worth installing or not. The company has announced it’s started applying two new badges to extensions in the Chrome store, letting you see crucial information at a glance.
The first badge is called ‘Featured’, and is shaped like a prize ribbon. That’s designed to show you the high quality extensions that “follow [Google’s] technical best practices and meet a high standard of user experience and design.”
In other words, these extensions aren’t likely to have been put there by bad actors, who aim to use an extension for something nefarious.
But there's more to it than simply verifying who you say you are. Google also requires a “consistent positive track record.” That means no outstanding developer policy violations, and essentially means publishers have to prove they deserve this badge. Because of this, Google says it “will take at least a few months of respecting these conditions to qualify.”
Publishers won’t be able to pay for either of the badges, which should help user trust in the whole system. They can nominate one of their existing extensions for Featured badge consideration, however.
The whole idea here is that Chrome users shouldn’t have any doubts when they install an extension, and won't need to worry that they’re installing something malicious or worthless. So, next time you’re browsing the Chrome store and you see those badges, you can be a bit more confident that you’re getting something good.
