Chrome 71 Rolls Out To Crack Down On Wayward Sites, Extensions

Google Chrome has long displaced Microsoft's Internet Explorer as the most used web browser, be it on desktop or mobile. But just like Explorer, its size and popularity also make it the perfect unwitting accomplice in ruining users' experience on the Web. That's why Google is putting its foot down on stubborn website owners and extension developers and its stricter policies will are now in full effect with the arrival of Chrome 71 for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Google has long been pushing against bad ads, and promoting good ads in the process, but some web site owners just aren't taking a hint. Either they're really unaware of the indirect role they play in serving pervasive abusive ads or they're too lazy to fix things. Worse, they might even be profiting from these intrusive and deceptive tactics.

Either way, Chrome 71 will be completely stripping off all ads on a "small number" of stubborn websites so any opportunity to gain from those will be gone. Site owners will be given 30 days to shape up or ship out. Suffice it to say, Google has had enough of shenanigans.

The same is true for extensions, once the pride of the Chrome web platform. Not unexpectedly, they've become potential and even literal trojan horses. Chrome 71 marks the release where it will be impossible to install extensions outside of the Chrome Web Store. That said, that store has also been noted for having security as foolproof as Google Play Store.

Chrome 71 is now marked as stable and should roll out to desktops in the coming weeks. Aside from ad removal, it's not yet known what other features it might have, especially for the mobile version. Google does promise a more detailed announcement explaining the big features this major release brings.