Chrome Extension Team's opaque arbitrary review process has shut down indie extension businesses with no recourse
In May 2020, Kozmos shut down after the Chrome Extension Team flagged and removed their extension with no clear explanation and did not respond to appeals for months. The HN post 'Unable to deal with Chrome Extension Team, Kozmos is shutting down' drew 1178 points and 82 comments. A 2023 HN thread 'Temptations of an open-source Chrome extension developer' (1123 pts, 50 comments) describes how Hover Zoom+ developer received 130+ acquisition solicitations and faced constant compliance pressure with no developer support from Google. Extension developers describe review emails that name the violated policy but not the specific observed violation, with appeals taking 1-2 weeks and no guarantee of a human reviewer. This creates an existential risk for any extension business: Google can remove the distribution channel at any time without explanation.
A web app that audits Chrome extensions for policy compliance before submission and manages CWS appeal workflows
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No product or service helps extension developers navigate Chrome Web Store reviews, pre-screen for policy violations, or advocate in the appeals process. No SLA exists from Google on review timelines. Developers are completely exposed to arbitrary removal with no professional help.