This might seem like an obscure change in a small part of the Google universe, but it might just be signaling a sea change in Google’s stance on the apps and add-on approval process.

Google has been talking up the auto-removal of unsanctioned extensions since November, when the company characterized the policy as a security necessity, claiming that “bad actors” were using loopholes to continue installing malicious add-ons without user approval or knowledge.

This is an obvious problem that Apple addressed when it created the very first App Store. While the linked article focuses on the lockdown of Windows Chrome add-ons, the issue of “bad actors” affects both Chrome and Android across the board.

I think this is a good move on Google’s part. For their users’ sakes, I hope they broaden this move to include Android as well. Look at that malware list we posted last week, where all top 20 malware threats were Android based. The need is obvious.