Are there security risks when using Amazon cart sharing extensions?

Question

Ive been using browser extensions for years to manage my wishlists and price tracking, but this new Amazon cart sharing tool my office manager sent over for our project supplies in Chicago has me questioning things. My logic was that if it just generates a public link for a shopping cart, it cant be that invasive, right? But then I looked at the permissions and it asks for read/write access to all my browsing data on Amazon. That seems like massive overkill just to share a list of office chairs and monitor arms. Is this standard for these apps or am I actually handing over session tokens? Has anyone else poked around the code on these?

Jeffreylon · Accepted Answer

@Reply #1 - good point! Honestly, I disagree that it is total overkill because these extensions often need broad permissions to trigger the checkout flow via script injection. Still, you are right to be wary. If you want to compare how they handle data, look at these:

Amazon built-in lists: safest, zero permissions, but limited utility.

Shared cart extensions: full functional integration, but riskier session access.

Proxy tools: better privacy, but usually clunky to set up.

Robertvat · Answer

TL;DR: trust your gut, read/write permissions are total overkill. I stopped using those plugins months ago. If you really need to coordinate office gear, just use the built-in lists or check out share amazon cart for a cleaner way to handle it without handing over your session cookies. Honestly, keeping your account data private is way more important than a convenient link. Stay safe out there.

Sam_Laakee · Answer

Permissions like that are definitely a huge red flag! I learned the hard way after a breach, so just use amazon cart share for your office supplies and stay safe!