Category: internet

Google has updated its Chrome Web Store policies that govern extensions related to affiliate marketing links, codes, and cookies. Affiliate links are one of the forms of revenue that content creators rely on to generate income, and the firm’s latest policy is designed to prevent Chrome extensions from injecting affiliate links that could replace the ones posted by content creators. The move comes weeks after a popular extension accused of inserting their own affiliate links on websites.

Google Cracks Down on Unauthorised Affiliate Code Injection

The updated Chrome extensions policy for affiliate ads includes a new rule that prevents the addition of affiliate links, codes, or cookies unless the core functionality of the extension provides a “direct and transparent user benefit”. Extensions will no longer be allowed to inject affiliate links on a webpage unless they grant users a “tangible benefit”.

Google has also provided examples of how extensions might violate its updated policy. For example, Chrome extensions that inject affiliate links in the background, without user engagement, would violate the policy. “Similarly, extensions adding affiliate links but not providing users cashback or discounts will not be compliant.”

As a result, if Chrome extensions want to add an affiliate link, code, or cookie, they will now need to ensure they provide a user benefit. This should also prevent third-party extensions from illegally benefitting from content creators.

The company silently updated its affiliate ads policy for Chrome extensions, and no reason was specified for the updated rules. However, it’s worth noting that the revamped policy comes months after Honey, a popular shopping extension owned by PayPal, was accused of taking affiliate revenue from content creators who promoted it online.

US lawyer and YouTube content creator Devin Stone (also known as LegalEagle) filed a class action lawsuit against Honey in December 2024. Stone has urged other creators to join the lawsuit against Honey, which is designed to seamlessly find and apply coupons as users browse the web.

New and emerging technologies were in focus in the Union Budget, as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a national framework for Global Capability Centres (GCCs), Rs 500-crore Centre of Excellence in AI for education, and said a deep tech ‘Fund of Funds’ will be explored to catalyse the next generation startups.

A new Fund of Funds, with expanded scope and a fresh contribution of additional Rs 10,000 crore is also on anvil.

A national framework will be formulated as guidance to states for promoting Global Capability Centres in emerging Tier-2 cities. This will suggest measures for enhancing availability of talent and infrastructure, building byelaw reforms, and mechanisms for collaboration with industry.

“I had announced three Centres of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence for agriculture, health, and sustainable cities in 2023. Now a Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence for education will be set up with a total outlay of Rs 500 crore,” Sitharaman said.

Startups have a reason for cheer also as a new ‘Fund of Funds’ with expanded scope and a fresh contribution of additional Rs 10,000 crore will be set up.

“The Alternate Investment Funds (AIFs) for startups have received commitments of more than Rs 91,000 crore. These are supported by the Fund of Funds set up with a government contribution of Rs 10,000 crore. Now, a new fund of funds, with expanded scope and a fresh contribution of another Rs 10,000 crore will be set up,” she said.

Gaja Capital Managing Partner Gopal Jain said the introduction of a new Fund of Funds for AIFs, and a Center of Excellence for AI in Education are all “promising steps” toward fostering a knowledge-driven economy.

To improve access to capital, the credit guarantee cover will be enhanced for startups, from Rs 10 crore to 20 crore, with the guarantee fee being moderated to 1 per cent for loans in 27 focus sectors key for Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Bruce Keith, Co-founder CEO, InvestorAi believes that the announcement on deep tech funds, while details are awaited, needs to be viewed through the ‘DeepSeek’ lens of what can be done with relatively small amounts of capital when provided to agile and creative teams.

“We expect the venture capital ecosystem to bring velocity and momentum into funding these enterprises,” Keith said.

It is pertinent to mention here that the India GCC landscape has been progressing over the past five years and the total number of such centres have risen to over 1,700 in FY24 with over 2,975 centres.

Jaspreet Singh, Partner and GCC Industry Leader, Grant Thornton Bharat said that the Budget’s focus on expanding talent availability and infrastructure in Tier-2 cities marks a significant step in strengthening India’s Global Capability Centre ecosystem.

“By unlocking access to a wider talent pool, including professionals who prefer to stay in their hometowns, this initiative will enhance workforce stability and retention. Improved infrastructure will further enable seamless operations, making Tier-2 cities attractive destinations for high-value global work,” Singh said.

As GCCs evolve into strategic hubs for innovation and technology, the expansion will drive inclusive growth, reduce regional disparities, and position India as a global leader in digital and business services, Singh said and noted that a well-distributed GCC network will ensure long-term resilience, scalability, and global competitiveness.

“The creation of the Deep Tech Fund of Funds will empower India’s deep-tech entrepreneurship, and fuel India’s global competitiveness in the AI race. With access to capital being a persistent challenge, the policy measures will increasing credit guarantee coverage for startups from Rs. 10 crore to Rs. 20 crore, enhancing access to capital,” said Prabhu Ram, VP – Industry Research Group (IRG), CyberMedia Research.

“India currently has the smallest talent demand-supply gap and is on track to achieve a skilled talent surplus by 2030. The expansion of IITs and the establishment of AI Centers of Excellence (CoEs) will strengthen India’s talent pool in emerging technologies, particularly AI. The PM Research Fellowship Scheme will also support innovation by offering 10,000 fellowships over the next five years at prestigious institutions like IITs, NITs, and IISc,” he added.

Star
Health,
India’s
biggest
health
insurer,
on
Saturday
said
it
had
received
a
ransom
demand
of
$68,000
from
a
cyberhacker
in
connection
with
a
leak
of
customer
data
and
medical
records.

Star,
which
has
a
roughly
$4
billion
market
cap,
is
battling
a
reputational
and
business
crisis
since
Reuters
reported
on
Sept.
20
that
a
hacker
had
used

Telegram
chatbots
and
a
website
to
leak
customers’
sensitive
data,
including
tax
details
and
medical
claim
papers.

The
company,
whose
shares
have
declined
11%,
has
launched
internal
investigations
and
has
taken
legal
action
against
Telegram
and
the
hacker,
whose
website
continues
to
share
samples
of
Star
customers’
data.

Star,
which
has
previously
said
it
is
a
“victim
of
a
targeted
malicious

cyberattack“,
on
Saturday
revealed
for
the
first
time
that
in
August
“the
threat
actor
demanded
a
ransom
of
$68,000
in
an
email”
addressed
to
the
company’s
managing
director
and
its
chief
executive.

The
statement
came
after
Indian
stocks
exchanges
sought
clarifications
from
Star
on
a
Friday
over
a
Reuters

report
that
the
company
was
investigating
allegations
that
its
chief
security
officer
was
involved
in
the
data
leak.

Star
reiterated
on
Saturday
it
has
found
no
wrongdoing
by
the
official,
Amarjeet
Khanuja,
though
the
internal
investigation
is
ongoing.

Telegram
has
declined
to
share
the
account
details
or
permanently
ban
accounts
linked
to
the
hacker
–
an
individual
dubbed
xenZen
–
“despite
multiple
notices
issued
in
this
regard,”
Star
said
on
Saturday.

Star
said
it
has
“sought
the
assistance”
of
Indian
cyber
security
authorities
to
“help
us
identify”
the
hacker.

Telegram
did
not
respond
to
a
request
for
comment.

The
Dubai-based
messenger
app
has
previously
said
it
removed
the
chatbots
when
Reuters
flagged
them
to
the
platform.

©
Thomson
Reuters
2024

(This
story
has
not
been
edited
by
NDTV
staff
and
is
auto-generated
from
a
syndicated
feed.)

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latest

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news
and

reviews,
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Amazon
Great
Indian
Festival
2024
brings
an
exciting
opportunity
for
audiophiles
to
upgrade
their
existing
equipment
with
the
latest
options
at
discounted
prices.
The
sale
kicked
off
on
September
26
exclusively
for
Prime
members
and
a
day
later
for
all
users
in
India.
Customers
can
take
advantage
of
price
drops
on
a
wide
range
of
products.
Additionally,
the
e-commerce
platform
offers
benefits
like
bank
and
exchange
deals
or
additional
coupon
discounts
to
lower
the
effective
price
of
the
product
further.
We
have
curated
comprehensive
lists
of
products
like

smart
TVs
and

soundbars
that
can
elevate
the
home
entertainment
experience.

However,
if
you’ve
been
eyeing
a
better
audio
solution,
then
there
are
lucrative
deals
on
home
theatre
systems,
too.
Buyers
can
choose
from
2.1
and
5.1
channel
options,
with
several
of
them
boasting
features
such
as
Dolby
Audio,
multiple
audio
modes
and
wireless
speakers.
Such
an
option
is
the

Sony
HT-S40R,
which
can
be
purchased
for
as
low
as
Rs.
20,490
against
its
MRP
of
Rs.
34,990
during
the

Amazon
sale.
Similar
deals
are
live
on
offerings
from

boAt,

JBL,

Govo, and Zebronics.

In
addition
to
price
cuts,
buyers
can
also
take
advantage
of
a
10
percent
instant
discount
of
up
to
Rs.
29,750
on
SBI
Debit
and
Credit
card
transactions.
Additionally,
flexible
EMI
options
can
be
available
during
the
Amazon
Great
Indian
Festival
2024,
subject
to
terms
and
conditions.

Amazon
Sale:
Top
Deals
on
Home
Theatre
Systems

Amazon
Great
Indian
Festival
sale
is
live
in
India,
and
it
brings
lucrative
deals
on
a
wide
range
of
products
across
categories
such
as
smartphones,
wearables,
tablets,
laptops,
TVs,
home
appliances,
and
more.
Thus,
customers
who
wish
to
upgrade
their
existing
gadgets
can
take
advantage
of
multiple
offers
and
get
their
desired
products
at
considerably
lower
prices.
We
have
compiled
a
list
of

top
premium
headphones
you
can
buy
during
the
Amazon
Great
Indian
sale.
However,
if
buying
a
new
smartwatch
is
on
your
mind,
then
the
sale
comes
at
a
perfect
time,
with
bundling
discounts,
bank
benefits,
and
other
top
options
from
brands.

We
have
curated
a
comprehensive
list
of
the
top
offers
on

Apple,

Samsung,

Amazfit
and

OnePlus
smartwatches
during
the
Amazon
Great
Indian
Festival
2024.

Apple
Watch
Series
10,
which
is
the
Cupertino-based
tech
giant’s
newest
smartwatch,
is
already
available
with
a
discount.
Meanwhile,

Samsung
Galaxy
Watch
4
LTE
is
being
offered
for
as
low
as
Rs.
8,099,
making
it
one
of
the
most
affordable
LTE
smartwatches
in
the
market
right
now.
Similar
deals
are
also
available
on
wearable
devices
from
Amazfit
and
OnePlus.
In
addition
to
price
cuts,
customers
can
also
take
advantage
of
a
10
percent
instant
discount
on
SBI
debit,
credit
card,
and
EMI
transactions.
There
are
also
coupon
discounts
of
up
to
Rs.
5,000
on
select
products
during
the
Amazon
Great
Indian
Festival
2024.

Deals
on
Apple,
Samsung,
Amazfit,
and
OnePlus
Smartwatches

Stay
tuned
to
Gadgets
360
for
more
deals,
discounts
and
offers
during
the
ongoing
Amazon
Great
Indian
Festival
sale.