Hi Is Manu
If it stinks and a lot. I explain to you, there are many reasons, because certain developers use these techniques.
A one motive Works. But there is more:
1. They position well for a few days and gain real users, obtaining more visibility. They save time.
2. Why create a new extension, if you can copy another one.
3. Most of these extensions use permissions "Read your browsing history" Nothing good.
4. Nothing happens to them, they are not penalized, they are not removed from the store, although Chrome Store already knows.
5. It's free.They use a script robot.
6. This shows that the Chrome Store algorithm can be fooled, better place extensions with more downloads, so when these extensions perform fraudulent installations in a few days, they rise in the rankings and position themselves above the extensions with many more classifications and much more authority. I don't talk about months, I talk about days.
If this does not change, it makes no sense to make extensions that meet the standards, the algorithm is really broken, since it does not detect these types of techniques, nor does it penalize them.
What happens after a week "call home", the facilities fall at the same time, since these extensions do not have real users, they grew artificially, but it is a cycle that I have seen repeat many times.
Worst of all, they will do it again, why? These types of techniques are not penalized, they are not detected at the right time, then those extensions are not removed from the store.
This has been working like this for too long and nobody says anything. Or nobody has noticed. I really doubt it?