Chrome bans extensions from outside Web Store from developer version

Chrome will also ban extensions that are installed outside of the Web Store from the developer version of Chrome. According to Google, the developer version was misused to install local extensions.

Since last May, Chrome has been banning extensions from outside the Web Store in the stable version of Chrome, as well as the beta version of the browser. The developer channel of Chrome is now added, Google has announced. With immediate effect, local extensions can no longer be installed in the Windows version; OS X will follow “soon.”

According to Google, the developer channel was misused by malicious parties. They forced users to use the developer channel, after which local, rogue extensions were installed, Google claims. It is unclear on what scale that happened; Google has provided no evidence to support its claim that the developer channel was abused.

Extension developers who want to test their extensions locally can use an enterprise policy to run local extensions.