Amazon Says Browser Extension No Longer Secure, Just After PayPal Acquired It

Last week Politico reporter Ryan Hutchins noted on Twitter that Amazon has been alerting its website users who had installed Honey that the browser extension is no longer safe. The extension, which searches the web for sales coupons for items in your checkout basket and automatically applies them, was recently acquired by PayPal for $4 billion. The deal was agreed upon in November and completed last week. According to Hutchins, such warnings have been viewed by Amazon customers since just before Christmas.

Having been compatible for years without any security warnings from Amazon, critics have now raised the question over whether this was intentionally done to level competition between the two tech giants. Honey makes a profit by charging retailers a percentage of the sales made with the coupons that it finds, and with this now under PayPal’s umbrella, Amazon may no longer be comfortable taking that hit. Especially when its own Amazon Assistant offers a similar experience.

Speaking to The Verge, an Amazon spokesperson said that “Our goal is to warn customers about browser extensions that collect personal shopping data without their knowledge or consent.” A charge against Honey that did not seem to stick for Hutchins, who continued on Twitter with, “That’s how all browser extensions work – including Amazon’s own extension.”

During the summer, a security vulnerability was found in the browser extension only to be quickly patched. Following the coverage of this latest security warning, a Honey spokesperson stated to Wired that “We only use data in ways that directly benefit Honey members – helping people save money and time – and in ways they would expect … Our commitment is clearly spelled out in our privacy and security policy.”

Brendan Garrett was a Reporter at deBanked.