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| Simon Wijckmans, CEO of c/side, noted that "When users purchased via an affiliate link with Honey installed, commissions intended for creators were redirected to Honey. Additionally, Honey misrepresented deals as the best discounts while partnering with companies to hide better offers."<ref name="techopedia-article"/> | | Simon Wijckmans, CEO of c/side, noted that "When users purchased via an affiliate link with Honey installed, commissions intended for creators were redirected to Honey. Additionally, Honey misrepresented deals as the best discounts while partnering with companies to hide better offers."<ref name="techopedia-article"/> |
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| [[Gamers Nexus, LLC]] later filed a class-action lawsuit against PayPal in January 2025 highlighting the same issues.<ref name="gamersnexus-v-paypal-holdings" /><h4>Affiliate-tampering controversy (Dec. 2024)</h4>In December 2024, investigations revealed that Honey was engaging in systematic manipulation of affiliate-marketing links. The investigations found that when users clicked on content creators' affiliate links and subsequently used Honey during checkout, the extension would:
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| *Delete the original affiliate's tracking cookie
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| *Replace it with Honey's own affiliate cookie via a hidden redirect tab
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| *Claim the commission that was intended for the original content creator
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| This practice is an example of "cookie stuffing," where an affiliate injects their own affiliate cookie without the user's knowledge.<ref>[https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/laguna-niguel-man-receives-fifteen-month-prison-term-defrauding-ebay "Laguna Niguel Man Receives Fifteen-Month Prison Term For Defrauding eBay"] ''U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of California''. August 4, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2025.</ref>
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| Additionally, contrary to marketing claims about finding "the best deals", Honey was found to have agreements with partner stores allowing them to control which coupon codes appeared through the extension. This meant stores could hide better discounts while only showing Honey users lower-value coupons. The practice directly contradicted years of marketing claims that promised users they would "always get the best deal possible."<ref name="megalag-video" />
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| Simon Wijckmans, CEO of c/side, noted that "When users purchased via an affiliate link with Honey installed, commissions intended for creators were redirected to Honey. Additionally, Honey misrepresented deals as the best discounts while partnering with companies to hide better offers."<ref name="techopedia-article" />
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| ==References==
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| <span></span><references />
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