Soon, Google will proactively notify users when an extension is installed from the Chrome Web Store has been removed.

Starting with Chrome 117, Google is stepping up communication about removed extensions. The company will proactively provide users with a reason why certain installed extensions are no longer available in the Chrome Web Store.

The why

There are three overriding reasons why this decision can be made:

• The developer is no longer releasing the extension
• The extension doesn’t follow Chrome Web Store policies (it’s about hate speech, spyware, etc.).
• The extension has been identified as malware (which will be automatically disabled)

Practical

With this decision, Google wants to keep its digital ecosystem safe and minimize the impact on harmless extensions. When a case is resolved, Chrome automatically retracts the notification.

However, if a developer has already received an alert and has been given time to customize a specific extension, no notification will appear. Typically, users will see a notification in the Privacy & Security section of Settings. There you can click on “Check”.

Google continues to edit Chrome with user security in mind. From version 116, for example, the regular security updates no longer come every two weeks, but every week. The company has also already taken action against the future threat of decryption using quantum technology.