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Will Google UCP replace browser extensions like Honey for online shopping?
Rakuten Terminates Integration with PayPal Honey
Rakuten Advertising has officially banned Honey, the PayPal-owned browser extension, from its affiliate network. This decision immediately invalidates Honey’s tracking links across Rakuten’s merchant base. Consequently, the extension can no longer generate commissions or provide cashback rewards through these specific vendor channels.
The Cause: Affiliate Link Hijacking Allegations
The termination stems from long-standing concerns regarding attribution theft. In late 2025, tech journalist MegaLag released a detailed investigation highlighting irregularities in Honey’s operation. The report demonstrates that the browser plugin effectively overwrites affiliate cookies belonging to competitors.
By replacing existing tracking codes with its own immediately before checkout, Honey claims the sales commission without driving the initial customer traffic. The investigation suggests this behavior is actively concealed within the software’s code. While suspicions arose in 2024, this recent evidence provided the grounds for Rakuten to enforce a complete ban to protect the integrity of its attribution model.
Emerging Obsolescence: The Universal Commerce Protocol
While this dispute reshapes the current affiliate landscape, new technological standards may render such browser extensions obsolete. Google recently announced the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open standard designed to facilitate agent-based commerce.
Developed in collaboration with major retailers including Etsy, Shopify, Wayfair, and Target, UCP creates a native framework for transactions. It supports protocols like A2A (Agent-to-Agent) and MCP (Merchant-Commerce-Protocol). This infrastructure allows AI agents to guide purchasing decisions and apply discounts automatically throughout the buying process. As UCP gains adoption, the need for third-party “overlay” tools like Honey will likely diminish, shifting commission structures directly to these integrated agents.