PayPal Honey Browser Extension Under Investigation for Allegedly Hijacking Affiliate Referral Links to Claim Credit for Influencers’ Sales

Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe is investigating reports that PayPal’s Honey web browser extension allegedly intercepted affiliate referral links between influencers and customers for customer purchases.

On the Internet, a user who clicks an affiliate link, such as in the description for a YouTube video, to complete a purchase would normally credit a portion of the sale go to the referrer, who may receive a share of the total sale price. If a user had installed the Honey browser extension, Honey would instead search for “coupons” for the store. Even if Honey did not find any applicable coupons or discounts, it allegedly modified the tracking codes to remove credit for the sale from the influencer and to instead credit only PayPal. Reports indicate that Honey inserted itself into the stream of commerce immediately prior to the sale to funnel credit for millions of purchases from influencers who promoted the products.

We are actively investigating whether PayPal Honey unlawfully interfered with the relationship between customers and referrers on the Internet, including whether its alleged practice of intercepting affiliate referral codes violated state and federal laws.

If you are an influencer who uses affiliate links, Honey may have taken credit for sales that should have gone to you. As a result, you may be entitled to money damages, a return of the funds that should have rightfully been credited to you, and an injunction requiring changes to the PayPal Honey’s practices.

If you are an influencer and believe Honey may have taken credit for your affiliate links and wish to obtain additional information about your legal rights, please fill out the form below.