TOP 10 Extensions with more 😒 fake installations in the last 🕓 24 hours - 😈 Bad practices in Chrome Web Store

[Julio Marin Torres]

🍵 Daily list - May 24, 2020

😈 Bad practices in Chrome Web Store

"TOP 10 Extensions with more 😒 fake installations in the last 🕓 24 hours"

📈 Simple list TOP 10 extensions with the highest rise of "Fake installations" within the Chrome Store in the last 24 hours:

Ranking	Icon	Extension name	Active users	+ Fake users added in 24h	% Increase
1		Naruto Wallpaper HD Custom New Tab	250,719	+ 223,001 🔼 😒	+ 804.5%
2		Video speed controls	21,624	+ 21,621 🔼 😒	+ 720%
3		SearchDeliver New Tab	7,384	+ 5,843 🔼 😒	+ 379.2%
4		Adblocker for YouTube™	5,774,987	+ 3,433,950 🔼 😒	+ 146.7%
5		Minecraft Wallpaper HD Custom New Tab	479,223	+ 180,549 🔼 😒	+ 90.9%
6		Harry Potter Wallpaper HD Custom New Tab	23,547	+ 6,227 🔼 😒	+ 67.8%
7		My Hero Academia Wallpaper HD Custom New Tab	400.000	+ 141,821 🔼 😒	+ 64.1%
9		Sports Cars - Super Cars Wallpaper HD New Tab	521,550	+ 180,866 🔼 😒	+ 53.1%
9		Travel Extension	38,683	+ 13,067 🔼 😒	+ 51.0%
10		Rainbow Color Picker	2,780,995	+ 917,741 🔼 😒	+ 49.3%

All these extensions violate the Developer Program Policies (*) to Chrome Store.

(*) User Ratings, Reviews, and Installs: Developers must not attempt to manipulate the placement of any extensions in the Chrome Web Store. This includes, but is not limited to, inflating product ratings, reviews, or install counts by illegitimate means, such as fraudulent or incentivized downloads, reviews and ratings.

ℹ MORE INFO: If you need more information about this, you can read this article 👀 or see and comment this following topics in Google Groups:

"Cheating the Chrome Store" Technique of "active users" or "fake active users". This is serious.

If you are a Chrome Store developer, this is important and serious. "This is bad for everyone"

List of extensions use Fraudulent Installations 1/1

List of extensions use Fraudulent Installations 1/2

[Kos]

OMG, "Adblocker for YouTube™" extension injects code on EVERY page on EVERY website

This is insane how it's even passed checks and displayed in Chrome Store.

1. "content_scripts": [
2. {
3. "matches": [
4. "http://*/*",
5. "https://*/*"
6. ],
7. "js": [
8. "inject.js"
9. ],
10. "all_frames": true,
11. "run_at": "document_start"
12. }
13. ],

[Julio Marin Torres]

Hi Kos

Surprising!

"Preparing the ground before harvest"

It is really suspicious, yes. But, only by fake users, it should already be removed.

First, I think he's waiting.

1. Have more real users through their fraudulent rankings.

2. When you already have more real users, maybe update inject.js and put some black magic.

Details crxcavator:

https://crxcavator.io/report/ldkihpcibakajmpnggbjnehoifnnpebn/1.2

inject.js

https://crxcavator.io/source/ldkihpcibakajmpnggbjnehoifnnpebn/1.2?file=inject.js 

Cheers!

[Kos]

Yes, but it's hard to define what is "fake user", in the same time requiring such broad permissions is definitely a violation, it's hard to believe Chrome team hasn't been part of it.

[Julio Marin Torres]

Hi Kos

Fake user?

Is clear:

Developers must not attempt to manipulate the placement of any extensions in the Chrome Web Store. This includes, but is not limited to, inflating product ratings, reviews, or install counts by illegitimate means

Any suspicious extension is simply monitored, opens the history data and you can see that miracles do not exist.

Cheers!

[Kostiantyn Plakhotia]

So you think they used some illegitimate ways to increase user base? May chrome team be involved in this? I think they are first who is winning from large user base.

пн, 25 мая 2020 г., 0:30 Julio Marin Torres <jmarint...@gmail.com>:

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[Julio Marin Torres]

Hi Kos

I answer your questions:

So you think they used some illegitimate ways to increase user base? 

Yes of course.  

All of these extensions in this list use fraudulent installations, maybe from virtual machines.

Today, if you look at the numbers of active users of some of those extensions in the list, there have been important changes, that is naturally impossible.

I give you an example "Video speed controls";

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/video-speed-controls/afcflhbefkmndfbghiipjifneeiigico

Yesterday:

21,624 fakes user

Today: 

43,459 fakes user 

Magic! You'll see tomorrow.

May chrome team be involved in this? 

I don't think so, otherwise this would be really serious. But I certainly don't know.

Chrome Store knows well that there are many fraudulent installations in many categories and that this type of practice is going to increase.

My doubts are:

They don't want to fix it?

They don't know how to solve it? (I do not think so)

Or maybe.

They are not interested in fixing it?

Cheers!

[Rajan Verma]

Hi Julio,

Even if they are fake users they are counted only at time of installation.. while chrome store shows weekly active users.  Don;t you think this number gonna reduce to original counting after 1-2 weeks becoz those fake users are not going to use the app frequently.??

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Rajan Verma

+91 9779471801

[PhistucK]

I think weekly users are calculated using the update checks (maybe also the installations).

If they basically send a million update checks (with unique identifiers) from even the same IP (think corporate networks, so they have to allow it) every day, they will count as weekly users.

☆PhistucK

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/d/msgid/chromium-extensions/CAGK3wGa7%2BCr7fqG%3Dv9HCz%3DRQr3VbaqDSjp8VqZQxejUvx9dnsA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Julio Marin Torres]

Hi Rajan 

Usually. Add users indefinitely (everyday), to maintain the cycle.

Frequently.??

7 days. (It's the cycle)

There are big changes every week, you can clearly see that users go down or up daily. 

It is easy to see in most cases.

However some extensions, add fake users little by little and it is more difficult to detect it. 

But I have experience and I know where to look.

Very smart, but you can always see it.

Cheers!

[Julio Marin Torres]

Hi Phistuck

I understand what you are saying and I don't think it's easy to stop it.

You can read this? this topic is really a problem, there is no easy solution. 

I think they could be more vigilant about these types of fraudulent practices that are on the rise, not to protect developers, but yes to protect its own users.

If they don't do anything, A day will come when any "keyword" you search in the Chrome Store will all be extensions spam or copies of spam in the first three positions. 

Maybe they won't do anything to fix it?  We will see it in August.

[PhistucK]

I do not see a way to fix it with what I assume to be the current architecture and design decisions of the web store statistics, but I bet they are far smarter and more capable than me (and/or they can change the architecture and design to fix this).

Hopefully, they will get to it soon.

☆PhistucK

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[James Brown]

Hi Julio Marin

Why did you decide that these are not real users?
0 reviews this is not surprising, now the reviews don't work.
It would be better if Google fixed the reviews! понедельник, 25 мая 2020 г., 18:02:49 UTC+3 пользователь Julio Marin Torres написал:

[Julio Marin Torres]

Hi James 

I have been researching on this topic for a long time and this is really happening, I would like it not to happen, but it does.

I give you a simple example:

Look and check the list, published on May 24.

Check for example this first extension (1) "Naruto Wallpaper HD Custom New Tab"

2 days ago (May 24)  250,719 active users,

Today (May 26)  NOW!!!! 528,433 active users.

Is completely ridiculous = 98% fake users.

There are thousands of extensions doing the same, enter for example in the category of fun and you will see a mine of bad practices.

But I explain:

As of March 29, 2020 extension rating functionality were disabled due to the impact of COVID-19.

But that an extension does not have any rating is not the most important thing, there are other sure indications that these extensions receive fraudulent installations.

Research:

- Daily download history - daily changes, these changes are not natural, they are artificial. They rise very quickly, in days. (I do not believe in miracles.)

Other things to look at:

- Date of publication 

- Version 

- Authority

- Position ranking in the store

- Account style

- False ratings

- Related extensions

There are many details that reveal that the extensions in this list have fake users every day.

Check these extensions in a week and you will see it.    

 

Cheers! 

[Julio Marin Torres]

Hi James 

i'm here again.

I just want to tell you, I completely agree with enable the function to rating extensions. That would be very good.

But it is not as important as you think.

I explain:

The reviews do not help much to the classification of an extension, the Chrome Store algorithm values more the keywords and especially the total number of installations of an extension in a short time, if all their users are completely false or generated.

I put a simple example, search "custom cursor" in the search Chrome Store

You will see this, the number of ratings is not the most important thing.

Cheers!

[Robert Walsh]

Hi Julio

I am very interested. Why are you doing this? There are problems much more important than these!

вторник, 26 мая 2020 г., 22:41:08 UTC+3 пользователь Julio Marin Torres написал:

[Julio Marin Torres]

Hi Robert 

Why are you doing this?

It is not for money, I assure you.

Are there many other problems?

If I agree with you, there is a large listing. 

But if you are interested, you can read this.  https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/01/14/chrome_web_store_scam/

Because I focus on fraudulent installations?

This affects the rankings extensions (Chrome Store algorithm) and affects us all, users and developers.

That's a big problem. I assure. 

Failure to monitor extensions will have consequences.

Cheers! 

[SoerenM]

Personally, I applaud you for looking into this and bringing this to everybodies attention!

No idea why people would critize you for looking into this.. unless they are somehow part of the problem?

From another perspective it adds insult to injury so to speak... seeing as how a lot of us "legit" extension authors are struggling from week to week to get legitimate updates approved in this bizarrely broken review process while at the same time seeing so many fraudulent or simply "spammy" extensions get through / staying published.... super demotivating...

[Robert Walsh]

Hi SoerenM

This problem will always be. Think about how to be above all this. Enjoy life guys!

среда, 27 мая 2020 г., 18:02:12 UTC+3 пользователь SoerenM написал:

[Julio Marin Torres]

Hi Soeren

Exactly, I think the same. If I know the problem well and many honest developers may get off track if this continues.

So something has to change. There must be much more control on updates with this type of bad practice must be eliminated, the rules must be strict and equal for everyone.

Some are part of the problem, so they don't like to hear this.

They just want to divert this topic. I suspect a little?

Cheers! 

[Julio Marin Torres]

Hi Robert

You really are sure that they will not do anything and pass this topic, I only have a question then:

Why did Chrome Store remove all these reported extensions?

https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/d/msg/chromium-extensions/vu6HAVx8Br0/fS7RPe5WBgAJ

https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/d/msg/chromium-extensions/vu6HAVx8Br0/x5kHdHlYBgAJ

Think about it. Nothing lasts forever.

Cheers!

[SoerenM]

Julio, I noticed the same... bunch of "Average Joe" American names but they all have set their email clients to a russian locale... funny coincidences ;)

[Alexander Ost]

Also, spamming extensions problem. They has similar count of users and it gives zero value as extension

And thay ordered higher than other extensions by google algorithms!! This things made impossible to grow normal extensions with great value for users and chrome ecosystem. 

I'm demotivated with developing my extension, improving it and have minimal impressions in the store :( Spamming and cheating killing the store.

[Denis Howe]

On Sunday, 24 May 2020 20:30:48 UTC+1, Kos wrote:

OMG, "Adblocker for YouTube™" extension injects code on EVERY page on EVERY website

1. "content_scripts": [
2. {
3. "matches": [
4. "http://*/*",
5. "https://*/*"
6. ],
7. "js": [
8. "inject.js"

That's not unusual.  Our extension is enabled on every page simply because it is potentially useful on every page.  Injecting a content script into the page is how many extensions work (there are also "background scripts" that persist between pages).  The injected script is part of the extension, bundled in the CRX so to change it you would have to release a new version of the extension.

As a legitimate extension developer, I'm very interested in this issue and would like to help fight it if at all possible.

[Julio Marin Torres]

Hi Denis

I'm not saying the Adblocker for YouTube™  use an unusual code.

But what I do say is that the rise of this extension in the ranking has clearly been due to fraudulent installations and it has a lot of fake users, that behavior is unusual.

More than 7,000,000 active users? I don't believe in miracles.

I am a user and I read the description and I think "Excellent, good it is a famous and well recommended extension" but wait, "It only has 53 reviews and they are not especially good".

Could you think that something strange is happening here or that they are trying to trick me? 

I am a simple user and read the description:

But, where are those excellent ratings? 

?¿

Please read "Developer policies" :

Just for those details I think this extension is clearly misleading users.

I really do not understand that they follow this type of extensions in the store, the users are not idiots, this type of extensions do not contribute much to the Chrome Store.

Sometimes just problems. 

Cheers!

[Julio Marin Torres]

Hi Alexander

Exactly 

What you say is true, this account you indicate, called "www.newtabs.pro" has many false users and also ratings.

The user count in all extensions of this account is very suspicious. It has + 50,000 active users in almost all extensions of this account, really similar numbers, most of its users are false.

I can only tell you Alexander, be patient, I think it is better to develop good extensions that add value to the user and not use these bad practices.

All developers should realize that this is a big problem and that this is happening in all Chrome Store categories, if this persists many new developers will say "It may not be worth developing my original or new extensions if the spam copies sometimes they have better results. " Something has to change.

These accounts with hundreds of extensions also request account extensions and are approved. Hopefully in the future this will be monitored more.

I understand that the Chrome Store is saturated with so much spam and this type of extensions / copies are published very quickly, this I think does a lot of damage to all developers, longer waiting times with the resource approval process and promotional images.

I really hope that on August 27th, the new rules will apply and they will remove these types of accounts and extensions.

Cheers!

[Sarsaparilla Sunset]

Hey Julio, keep up the good work.  I support you, we need to try to stop the evil from ruining everything, everywhere.

One problem with Chrome extensions is they are so difficult to monetize.  So there are these shady marketing companies (many of which are based in Eurasia) going around buying up extensions; and developers choosing to cash out, essentially selling out their users, and their souls.  I've received so many solicitations that I think if this stays this way for long there'll be a systematic corruption of this space.

[Oliver Mo]

Hey Julio Marin

Are these extensions not working? I think you can't promote your extensions, so you are trying to destroy others. This is true?

On Sunday, May 24, 2020 at 7:57:02 PM UTC+3, Julio Marin Torres wrote:

🍵 Daily list - May 24, 2020

😈 Bad practices in Chrome Web Store

"TOP 10 Extensions with more 😒 fake installations in the last 🕓 24 hours"

📈 Simple list TOP 10 extensions with the highest rise of "Fake installations" within the Chrome Store in the last 24 hours:

Ranking	Icon	Extension name	Active users	+ Fake users added in 24h	% Increase
1

Naruto Wallpaper HD Custom New Tab

250,719	+ 223,001 🔼 😒	+ 804.5%
2		Video speed controls	21,624	+ 21,621 🔼 😒	+ 720%
3		SearchDeliver New Tab	7,384	+ 5,843 🔼 😒	+ 379.2%
4		Adblocker for YouTube™	5,774,987	+ 3,433,950 🔼 😒	+ 146.7%
5		Minecraft Wallpaper HD Custom New Tab	479,223	+ 180,549 🔼 😒	+ 90.9%
6		Harry Potter Wallpaper HD Custom New Tab	23,547	+ 6,227 🔼 😒	+ 67.8%
7		My Hero Academia Wallpaper HD Custom New Tab	400.000	+ 141,821 🔼 😒	+ 64.1%
9		Sports Cars - Super Cars Wallpaper HD New Tab	521,550	+ 180,866 🔼 😒	+ 53.1%
9		Travel Extension	38,683	+ 13,067 🔼 😒	+ 51.0%
10		Rainbow Color Picker	2,780,995	+ 917,741 🔼 😒	+ 49.3%

All these extensions violate the Developer Program Policies (*) to Chrome Store.

(*) User Ratings, Reviews, and Installs: Developers must not attempt to manipulate the placement of any extensions in the Chrome Web Store. This includes, but is not limited to, inflating product ratings, reviews, or install counts by illegitimate means, such as fraudulent or incentivized downloads, reviews and ratings.

ℹ MORE INFO: If you need more information about this, you can read this article 👀 or see and comment this following topics in Google Groups:

"Cheating the Chrome Store" Technique of "active users" or "fake active users". This is serious.

If you are a Chrome Store developer, this is important and serious. "This is bad for everyone"

List of extensions use Fraudulent Installations 1/1

List of extensions use Fraudulent Installations 1/2

[Julio Marin Torres]

Hi Sarsaparilla

Thanks for your support! I hope that all the developers who still do not know this problem or those who already know it and do not like it, report it.

And that every time you see an extension or account in the Chrome Store that uses this type of bad practices, please report it to the Chrome Store, it is simple, click on the red button "Report abuse", select "Has other issues - Please describe in comments" and comment with the ID Extension or Name account, or send a comment to developer support reporting this type of specific bad practices.  

I think that if the Chrome Store sees that it is important for many developers, they will change it.

Cheers! 

[Kos]

There is actual abuse reason for fake users counts: "Misrepresents its value or features". Because more users === more value. So extensions with a lot of fake users have more value, so need to be reported for this exact reason.

[Julio Marin Torres]

Hi Oliver Mo

Of course not, I think you have misunderstood.

But I explain it clearly, I have a lot of time.

My main interest is none other than to report this problem: "Artificially generated fraudulent installations" or "Bad practices for Chrome Store" or SPAM.

So that this type of bad practice is finally eliminated from the Chrome Store.

You've understood? 

If you have more questions you can read this:, https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/forum/#!msg/chromium-extensions/vu6HAVx8Br0/wbwG6NfZBQAJ

Cheers!

[Julio Marin Torres]

Hi Kos

If I think you are right, because basically the purpose of these techniques is to trick the user into believing that the extension is relatively successful, but they also try to manipulate the rankings ranking, there are several things.

Does not say anything specific about "Fake active users" or "Ranking manipulation", "Fraudulent generated installations" or "False ratings".

That's why I recommended using the comment field, to clearly express the reasons in exact words and that the Chrome Store knows exactly and does not have to interpret.

See exact reason.

Cheers!

[Hr Gwea]

Fake reviews in the description?!!

F**K!!

HOW IN THE WORLD DID A REVIEWER ALLOW THAT?!!!!

We hear in this forum all the time about people who struggle to figure out how to make their description compliant.

And this "Adblocker for YouTube" trickster used the description field to simulate good user reviews... with 5 little stars and all...

And he got away with it?!

My god... I'm speechless.

[Julio Marin Torres]

Hi

I really think a lot of the extension approval processes have to change, but until that happens, we will have to tell the CWS team.

Maybe the Chrome Store doesn't always see these things, maybe it prefers that we tell it exactly so that they take the appropriate measures, that's why, that's why I have written this so that they investigate this extension and eliminate if they decide so. 

Case:

The Adblocker for YouTube ™ extension with ID ldkihpcibakajmpnggbjnehoifnnpebn has reasons to be removed from the Chrome Store by the CWS review team. 

I indicate 5 exact reasons and why this extension violates the Developer Program Policies.

I list all the suspicious details that I've seen in the Adblocker for YouTube ™ extension:

----------

1. This extension requests unnecessary permissions, this extension clearly says that it serves to block ads for YouTube, but it requests full permissions to work on any website.

.manifest 

"permissions": [

"webRequest",

"webRequestBlocking",

"<all_urls>"

],

Developer Program Policies say:

----------

2. This extension uses millions of fraudulent installations, almost all of its active users are false, perhaps 99% of its active users are not real, these users will never really use this extension. 

----------

3. This extension manipulates the rankings or its positioning thanks to its millions of fraudulent installations, it is clearly attacking the Chrome Store algorithm and knows that adding millions of false users to its counter will quickly go up in the lists, now it is already the 2nd position in the Keyword "Adblock for Youtube".

See this:

Developer Program Policies say:

----------

4. This extension uses SPAM descriptions with too many keywords. For example, the Keyword "Youtube" is repeated in the texts 39 times, it really is a high density of important keywords and it is clear that it only seeks to position itself by the Keyword "Youtube" .

I only show a small detail of the description, is very visible:

Developer Program Policies say:

----------

5. This extension also deceives its users in its description, believing that it has excellent ratings and that it is a very successful extension, when it is not, you can see that only 53 reviews of 8,000,000 fake active users today 05 / 29 / 2020.

In the description:

Developer Program Policies say:

----------

I just hope this detailed information can help, as I think this extension violates various points of the Developer Program Policies.

 

Thanks for your support.

Greetings!

[Lindsay Infante]

I agree with Oliver Mo. Please show me your extension? You may not know how to do this, but you are trying to destroy others. Maybe they flood traffic from Google or from other networks.

[Kos]

It's strange, but Google is somehow always winning in this situation. At least they know about it and do nothing, at large I think someone may just increase any extension user base using their admin privileges. We will find out about truth after Google team does their investigation, because people need to know.

[Julio Marin Torres]

Hi Lindsay 

Believe me, my only reason is that these bad practices are removed from the Chrome Store, I do not know what you think? but I don't want to live in a system full of traps and lies, if I need to prune some branches for that, I have a time and good scissors.

Cheers!

[Julio Marin Torres]

Hi Kos

I don't know if they allow this type of bads practices. I have seen remove extensions and accounts for these reasons.

I hope that things will improve. I understand that it may take some time.

I think that all the processes for approving and updating extensions in the Chrome Store can improve, they could be more stringent, the system should see these clear signs of spam and have the system automatically remove them.

I also think that many developers believe that this will never change, they feel untouchable and they are wrong, nothing lasts forever, all systems change.

Developers have to adapt to change, but we also have to produce new changes.

Cheers!

[Lindsay Infante]

Hi Julio
Why can't you show your extensions? At least one.
You have nothing to show? 

[CynthiaS]

Hi everybody

I watch Julio Marin made a fuss.

Who is this Julio?

[Michael Druck]

Hi CynthiaS

No one knows this Julio

He imagines himself to be a god of extensions, but cannot show his cool extensions

[Kos]

He's a hero we need but don't deserve.

[Sarsaparilla Sunset]

It's not about what I want. It's about what's fair!

[CynthiaS]

Hi

He is a hero ???

Do we usually call the heroes of people who just post on the forums? It sounds interesting but very strange.

[Kos]

I think questions he asks are pretty obvious but as no other developer asks them, person can clearly be called hero. 

And again, we don't deserve it as we don;t ask same questions, but probably should.

[Akansh]

Found this website openly selling reviews and installs, https://www.appsally.com/products/chrome-extension-installs/

[Julio Marin Torres]

Hi Akansh,

There are many services and scams around this problem, but all of these services are a waste of time and money.

I always imagine the faces of many bad guys when they receive an email that says:

Rejected for "Spam and Placement in the Store" 

Cheers!

[CynthiaS]

Hello everyone!

Anyone here worried about review issues? How can Google get them repaired?