Google implements badges to help users identify reliable Chrome extensions

Are you one of the frequent victims of unreliable extensions on Google Chrome? If yes, then there’s good news for you as Google has now devised a way to make it easier for everyone to determine which extension to have – badges.

“Since 2009, publishers have been hard at work building extensions that make Chrome more powerful, useful and customizable for users,” says Chrome Design Manager Debbie Kim in a post. “It has always been our mission to make it easy for users to find great extensions while recognizing the publishers who create them. Today, we’re announcing two new extension badges to help us deliver on our goal: the Featured badge and the Established Publisher badge.”

According to Google, the two badges have their specific meanings. The Featured badge is in the form of a rosette or a prize ribbon, which will be given to extensions following Google’s “technical best practices and meet a high standard of user experience and design.”

What makes this badge (and so as the second one) is that granting it to extensions will be based on a certain set of criteria. “As our goal is to help users find great extensions, publishers cannot pay to receive either badge,” says Kim. “They can, however, submit a request for their extension to be reviewed to receive the Featured badge in the one-stop support page.”

According to Google, it has its “Chrome team members manually evaluate each extension before it receives the badge.” The first of the requirements to get the badge, as Kim mentioned in the blog post, is compliance with Chrome Web Store’s best practices guidelines while delivering an “enjoyable and intuitive experience,” observing end-user privacy, and utilizing the newest platform APIs. Second, the badge requires the extension to present a store listing page offering all the important information the users need, from images to detailed descriptions.

On the other hand, the Established Publisher badge will be shown in a checkmark design. It will be given to extensions produced by publishers “who have verified their identity and demonstrated compliance with the developer program policies.” Apparently, the badge also has its own requirements. It includes the verification of the publisher’s identity and positive track record with Google services and adherence to Developer Program Policy. This is a good thing for those looking for a reliable extension since the Established Publisher badge will only be granted to publishers tested through time. Google stated that it “will take at least a few months of respecting these conditions to qualify.”