Mozilla has launched two new badges for add-ons to help users find extensions made by and extensions verified by Mozilla. Aside from being displayed on the Mozilla add-ons website, extensions on the browser’s add-on menu will also carry one of the new badges if they’ve been awarded.
The green verified badge is awarded to extensions that have successfully completed a review process by Mozilla to ensure that it is trusted. End users that see the badge can be assured that the add-on is regularly reviewed by Mozilla and is, therefore, safe to install.
Those extensions which have not been verified, recommended, or made by Mozilla will come with a warning that states ‘This add-on is not actively monitored for security by Mozilla. Make sure you trust it before installing.’ If you want to install a non-badged add-on, you should read Mozilla’s support page on assessing the safety of an extension.
According to a previous blog post on the matter, Mozilla stated that developers looking to get their extension verified will have to pay a fee. The badge will allow developers’ add-ons to become more trusted by users and the fee helps support Mozilla’s work. Developers can pay an additional fee to the firm to have their extension appear in the Sponsored section of the Firefox add-ons website, which will aid the add-on’s visibility.
Mozilla says that it recently finished picking participants for the badge pilot review, with the process expected to end in November. If they pass the review, you’ll be able to find them, with their new badge, on the Firefox add-on website.
