Google is conducting a “root-and-branch review” of third-party developer access to user data.
The company has now said its new policy for Minimum Permission and Updated User Data Policy will be enforced starting October 15, 2019 — in other words, Chrome will no longer support sketchy extensions that gather data on browsing activity.
Back in May, the Google had announced that it would begin cracking down on Chrome extensions that manipulate personal information.
In this context, it has urged developers to post privacy policies and rework their Chrome extensions to request only minimum permissions without compromising their functionality.
Once the revised policy comes into effect, extensions that don’t meet the criteria will be removed from the Chrome Web Store. New submissions that don’t comply will also be rejected.
Last month, Google had said it would limit content-blocking Chrome extensions that gather sensitive information with a Declarative Net Request API.
The ongoing privacy protections are part of a broader security effort that Google calls Project Strobe. The audit was put in place last October to improve user privacy and security on Google and Android devices by reviewing third-party developer access to data.