Top Risks

• Search-engine override routes ALL user queries to perplexity-ai.online — a lookalike domain unaffiliated with real Perplexity AI.
• Brand impersonation: confirmed_owner=false, developer is gmail user 'proludey' with no verified business identity.
• Privacy policy is Google's own account policy — completely unscoped to this extension, admits data collection and 3rd-party sharing.
• Install-URL hijack: onInstalled opens extension.tilda.ws/perplexityai (3rd-party marketing page).
• declarativeNetRequestWithHostAccess grants traffic-interception capability over the lookalike domain serving all search queries.

Evidence

• search_provider_override manifest chrome_settings_overrides sets default search to perplexity-ai.online — not perplexity.ai; lookalike domain.
• brand_impersonation store brand_mention.is_impersonation=true, confirmed_owner=false; developer is proludey@gmail.com.
• install_url_hijack crx install_url_hijack=true; onInstalled opens https://extension.tilda.ws/perplexityai.
• generic_privacy_policy store Policy URL is Google account policy; scope_extension=false, data_collection=true, third_party_sharing=true.
• free_webmail_developer store Developer email proludey@gmail.com with no verified business domain; domain_age_ct not queryable.
• js_external_hosts crx extension.tilda.ws and localhost listed as external JS hosts; tilda.ws is a 3rd-party website builder.
• declarativeNetRequestWithHostAccess manifest HIGH-tier permission combined with host access to lookalike domain enables traffic interception.
• host_geo_diversity api JS hosts span AE and DE (2 countries); minor geographic spread for a search extension.

Permissions Breakdown

• storage low Stores local extension settings; low standalone risk.
• declarativeNetRequest medium Can modify/block network requests via static rules.
• declarativeNetRequestFeedback medium Reads which rules matched; minor info disclosure risk.
• declarativeNetRequestWithHostAccess high Combines DNR with host access — can redirect/block traffic on matched hosts.
• chrome_settings_overrides.search_provider (is_default=true) high Silently overrides default search engine to perplexity-ai.online, a non-official domain.
• host_permissions: *://perplexity-ai.online/* high Full access to lookalike domain controlled by developer, not the real Perplexity AI.

Pillar Scores

Bookkeeping