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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1318513
Shopping Extension Safety Web browser shopping extensions like Honey are all the rage — and why wouldn’t they be? They can help you comparison shop across websites, get the best deals on large marketplace platforms like Amazon, find and apply coupon codes at checkout, and even earn cash back on purchases. All of this is great — but it’s worth considering how these extensions actually function, and then asking yourself if there are any security and privacy implications that you need to think about (spoiler alert: there are!). Extensions work by adding functionality to your web browser, but to do this, they usually need to have some special permissions. For example, some extensions might need to be able to see your location, others your web activity or search history, and so on. In addition, to provide an interactive experience, browser extensions will often require the ability to make changes on web pages you’re visiting: altering the content that gets displayed on the page, or adding helpful new content to the page you’re currently on. As you can probably see, that’s a lot of power to give to any piece of software on your system — and as such, it carries some degree of risk. To begin with, there are browser extension privacy issues to consider when an extension can see your web activity and history. But there are also security issues to be aware of if extensions can alter the web pages you visit: lots of macOS adware, for example, works by injecting unwanted ads and bogus search results into web pages, and these can range from the merely annoying to the genuinely harmful. Unfortunately, there’s nothing stopping a bad actor from calling a malicious extension “XYZ Shopping Buddy” and then causing all sorts of problems for users. So if you are thinking about installing a shopping extension, how can you make sure that the one you’re about to add to your browser is actually legitimate, and not malicious? Here are a few general guidelines: 1 - Do your homework There are lots of reputable, well-established shopping toolbars and extensions out there. So if you’re considering a particular extension, look it up first! You should be able to find customer reviews online, including negative reports that would warn you of a potential danger. If you can’t find anything written about an extension, good or bad, it’s probably best to avoid it (it might sound harsh, but sometimes it’s best to let somebody else be the guinea pig!). 2 - Read the privacy policy Yeah, we know. These can be somewhat boring. But they’re important, because they spell out exactly how the developers are planning to collect and use your data, and let you know if they’re going to be sharing it with third parties. If you’re not happy with what you see there — or if you just find the privacy policy confusing or vague — it’s time to look for another extension. 3 - Shut it off If you do install an extension, remember there’s no rule that says you have to leave it on all the time! In Safari, for example, you can manually shut off an extension when you’re not using it (i.e. without actually uninstalling it) by going to the Safari menu Preferences Extensions. From there, just uncheck the box next to the extension you want to disable, and it won’t be active on your system until you switch it back on. When you’re ready for another shopping session, you can simply go back to this menu and turn the extension on by checking the box again. 4 - Watch for trouble Finally, if you’ve installed a new shopping extension, keep an eye out for any signs that it may be adware in disguise. If you install an extension and you suddenly start to notice weird redirects, ads popping up in random web pages that you visit, or a proliferation of low-quality (read: spammy) search results, then it’s time to remove that extension! If this happens, you should also run a systemwide malware scan just to be on the safe side: malicious toolbars and adware are often intentionally difficult to uninstall, but a good malware detection and removal tool can help you completely eliminate an infection.