In the latest effort to make browser extensions safer for the customer, Google notified developers about new badges in the Chrome Web Store. Third-party extensions developers will soon be able to get the "Featured" and "Established" badges that will mark reputable extensions users can trust (via XDA).
Google will grant the "Featured" badge to extensions that follow the best standards and practices regarding security, privacy, design, and user experience. Google will handle the process manually, but developers can nominate their projects to receive the badge starting April 20, 2022.
The second badge, "Established," will automatically mark developers with verified accounts and no record of violating the Developer Program Policy. Verified developers can display their status by including an official link in the "Offered by" field in their Chrome Web Store listings.
Besides providing users with a clear sign of trustworthy developers and their projects, the new badges will benefit developers themselves. Google says developers with badges "may receive higher rankings in search and filtering" and receive promotion in the Chrome Web Store and outside of it. Mozilla has a similar program called "Recommended Extensions." Both companies stress that they do not allow developers to pay for the badges.
Google also wants to improve extensions in the Chrome Web Store by shifting from Manifest V2 to Manifest V3 policies. Developers can no longer submit Manifest V2-based extensions, and abandoned projects that failed to update to V3 will stop working in Chrome in January 2023.
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