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Google Bans Chrome Extensions That Mine Cryptocurrencies From the Web Store (bleepingcomputer.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Google announced that effective today, the Chrome Web Store review staff would stop accepting new extensions on the Web Store that perform cryptocurrency mining. Existing Chrome extensions that perform cryptocurrency mining will be delisted sometime in late June. The decision came after Google saw a rise in extensions that performed hidden in-browser mining (cryptojacking) behind the users' backs, in background processes.
Even if Google has not said it outright, the company has taken this step to protect Chrome's image. Cryptojacking scripts have a huge impact on a computer's responsiveness, and when most users investigate, they see Chrome's processes hogging CPU resources. Very few of these users will be able to track the spike in CPU usage back to an extension. Google has worked incredibly hard to create the image that Chrome is today's fastest browser, and the company isn't going to stand by and watch some extension developers ruin Chrome's brand so that some devs can make a few Monero on the side.
Even if Google has not said it outright, the company has taken this step to protect Chrome's image. Cryptojacking scripts have a huge impact on a computer's responsiveness, and when most users investigate, they see Chrome's processes hogging CPU resources. Very few of these users will be able to track the spike in CPU usage back to an extension. Google has worked incredibly hard to create the image that Chrome is today's fastest browser, and the company isn't going to stand by and watch some extension developers ruin Chrome's brand so that some devs can make a few Monero on the side.
And tens of thousands of gasps of dismay emenated from Ukrania....
I'm sure some names on the list would surprise us.
Does Google also kill extensions which show ads?
I had no idea you could mine Cryptocurrencies from the Web Store.
You learn something new everyday!
If so-called cryptocurrencies are really good innovation, why they attract so many criminals/criminal activity?
Could it really be because, all cryptocurrencies themselves are scams, and that is why they attract all kinds of criminals/criminal activity?
If so-called cryptocurrencies are really currency, why no company/store can use Bitcoin as currency anymore?
Because the price of Bitcoin proved to be extremely unstable to use as a currency?
Would the result be different, if Bitcoin replaced by any other "cryptocurrency"?
Aren't all work the same way?
Or, they are not actually virtual currency but virtual investment?
But, if they are actually investment, why we need/want them?
What would happen to world economy, if people invested in virtual investments, instead of real investments?
Or, all so-called cryptocurrencies are actually just a modified (made decentralized and paying variable interest) Ponzi Schemes?
(Price of cryptocurrencies would keep increasing in the long term (by their design), so it is equivalent of paying variable interest to all long term investors.)
As more and more people invest in cryptocurrencies, it will become harder and harder to ban their trading everywhere!
All cryptocurrencies need to be banned globally before it is too late!
How would I know they did this? Unless the extensions are open source I have no idea what they are doing. Google should be requiring open source.
Not anymore, Firefox is faster now.
Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
n/t
Interesting. Few days ago my extension got pulled of without explanation. I freaked out, didn't know why, because it was only RSS reader. I had few ideas why it could be so I start fixing them. I mentioned in summary that it is replacement of google reader, which they might not like, so I removed that. It was also using google caja sanitizer, so I replaced it with something else. Then there was preset of feeds so I removed them all. I was about to resubmit it next day when they sent me an email that it was removed by accident. They didn't tell why.
Now that I see they are removing cryptocurrency miners it all makes sense. I use SHA1 sum to make GUID of article if it is not present or if it is too long, so that must have triggered their system to mark my RSS reader as crypto miner.
Bye Felicia.
Your greed conflicts with our greed, so we won't allow yours on ours anymore.
Because some scripts like Iridium kindly ask for your donation trough mining. (That's the most right way, that it could be used)
Why are cryptocurrencies even in the web store?!? Maybe the tool is doing everyone a favour?
Requiem for the American Dream
If a browser allows a tab to consume all the systems resources its a poorly designed browser. The same goes for an operating system that allows a program to consume all available resources. A better designed system would inform the user of the possibility of excess resource usage and give the user the option to limit that tab/application's resource usage. This could get hairy with lots of applications causing alerts to confused users so the rational solution is sane defaults that limit resource usage and then enable a particular application or tab to request additional resources. For those capable an easy to utilize sliding scale would be available to manually select resource allocation.
Why have large corporations, central banks and other rich people united behind their opposition to cryptocurrencies?
It's almost as if they are protecting us peasants from making, or even having, a tiny amount of money outside their control!
I'll see your Constitution and raise you a Queen.
Your boring meme must be about ten years old now. Fucking hell. Get a life.
Must be really frustrating not having your cpu cycles taken to make money for a stranger.
I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
Why than Google is not concerned about chrome performance?
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/18/04/02/2041254/chrome-is-scanning-files-on-your-computer-and-people-are-freaking-out
....can't wait until all of this crypto-crap crashes spectacularly, and the little wieners wake up to reality and suddenly realise that they better memorize the line "so you want fries like that?"
The shitshow of these douchebags crying and fawning, and running back to mommy and daddy because they can no longer afford that expensive lift will be truly epic!
The shitshow of these douchebags crying and fawning, and running back to mommy and daddy because they can no longer afford that expensive loft will be truly epic!
was thinking about this yesterday but not doing it. afraid of hacks to my chrome