Cryptocurrency Mining Extensions Banned From Chrome Web Store

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Until now, Google has allowed cryptocurrency mining extensions as long as mining was the extension's only purpose, and users were adequately informed about this behavior. Unfortunately, approximately 90 percent of all extensions with mining scripts that developers have attempted to upload to Chrome Web Store have failed to comply with these policies, and have been either rejected or removed from the store.

In December, for instance, a Chrome browser extension called Archive Poster with more than 105,000 users was found to be mining the virtual currency Monero without warning computer owners.

Google plans to delist all existing extensions that mine cryptocurrency in "late June." Extensions with "blockchain-related purposes other than mining" are still allowed.