The Chrome Web Store Is Totally Fucked For Finding Privacy & Security Extensions
When I’m setting up a new browser, I know what extensions I want: some type of ad blocker, a cookie controller, and a forced-HTTPS tool. I usually search *extension-name* + *browser-name*, and the result comes up without a hitch, for all browsers. But, this process is vastly different if I didn’t know what extension I wanted. The first step a user would take in searching for extensions would probably be the browser’s own extension website.
The Chrome Web Store (intentionally?) deters users from finding privacy & security extensions.
First, Chrome’s categories list doesn’t have any section that privacy or security addons could fall under. Productivity? Maybe. Developer Tools? Possibly? In both Safari and Firefox, security/privacy has a clear, god-given category. Users want their communications to be secure, and there’s plenty of great addons that help them achieve that goal. So, when Chrome made their store, why did they exclude such an important category everyone else had?
Second, on the home pages of the extension stores, there is a vast difference between the frequency and prominence of reputable security/privacy extensions. On Mozilla’s extension page there are a total of 7 links, 6 of them within the initial view, which either take you directly to a reputable extension, or take you to a privacy / security extension section of the store. Compare that with Chrome Web Store, which does not contain any (!) privacy or security extensions in the initial view, and only after a few malware-ridden, closed-sourced ad blockers does the first legitimate privacy extension come. The first tracking-protection extension to show up is not only 3+ page scrolls away, but also proprietary. Moreover, the Chrome Web Store does not emphasize the reputability of these extensions. On Mozilla’s landing page, you clearly can see Most Popular, or Featured Extensions. In the Security & Privacy section, you can also see the Top Rated category. This is also true on Apple’s extension page, where addons are sorted by Popular by default. These category names are indicators of an extensions’ success and quality, and are not used for privacy & security extensions in the Chrome Web Store. Instead, Chrome provides More Recommendations (tailored) and features some startupy junk.
Since Google Chrome is the most widely used browser today, and still recommended by numerous security folks for its auto-updating and sandboxing, this situation is amusing. Unless you have prior knowledge about a certain browser extension, you’re unlikely to discover vetted, security-enhancing extensions on the Google Web Store. Perhaps that’s just the cost of doing browsing business with the world’s largest advertising company.
