Protecting Our Affiliates: What You Need to Know About Cookie Manipulation

We've recently updated our Terms of Service to address a growing concern in the affiliate marketing space: the manipulation of tracking cookies. This change is aimed at ensuring fairness and protecting our affiliates from unethical practices.

What Are Tracking Cookies?

Tracking cookies are small data files stored on a user's browser when they click on an affiliate link. These cookies are essential for tracking where a customer came from, ensuring that the affiliate who referred the customer is credited with the sale. Without these cookies, it would be impossible to accurately reward affiliates for their efforts.

What Is the Issue with Extensions Like Honey?

Extensions like Honey have been found to exploit affiliate tracking cookies. Honey markets itself as a browser extension that helps users save money by automatically applying coupon codes during checkout. However, in some cases, Honey has been accused of doing more than that—it can replace existing affiliate cookies with its own.

Here’s how it works:

• A user clicks on an affiliate’s link (e.g., a YouTuber or content creator promoting a service).

• This sets a tracking cookie, ensuring the affiliate gets credit if the user makes a purchase.

• When the user checks out, Honey’s extension may override the original tracking cookie with its own, falsely claiming credit for the referral.

• This results in the rightful affiliate losing their commission, and Honey earning it instead.

Money-Off Code Sites That Open New Tabs

Another common issue involves money-off code websites that automatically open new tabs when copying codes. These sites can override existing affiliate cookies with their own, effectively stealing credit for the referral. This behavior is equally unacceptable and is now explicitly prohibited under our updated Terms of Service.

If such tabs or links are opened, users must be clearly warned that doing so will replace the existing affiliate code. Failure to provide this warning is a violation of our policies and will not be tolerated.

Why This Matters

This type of cookie manipulation directly impacts affiliates who rely on these commissions as part of their income. For businesses like ours, it’s essential to ensure that affiliates—who put in the effort to promote our services—are fairly rewarded for their work.

Our Response

To prevent this, we’ve updated our Terms of Service to explicitly prohibit affiliates from using any tools or methods, such as:

• Browser extensions that manipulate or replace affiliate tracking cookies (e.g., Honey).

• Money-off code sites that open new tabs or links to overwrite cookies during checkout without warning.

Affiliates caught engaging in these behaviors risk suspension or termination of their affiliate account.

We also want to emphasize that end users who happen to have such extensions installed won’t be held responsible for any unintentional cookie manipulation. Our goal is to target the unethical practices of affiliates, not penalize everyday users.

If you have any questions about these changes or need clarification, please don't hesitate to reach out. We remain committed to supporting our affiliates and ensuring a fair environment for everyone.