Permission governance is the process of deciding, limiting, and regularly reviewing what capabilities browser extensions or apps are allowed to use. In a browser, that can include reading tab content, accessing specific websites, injecting scripts, modifying requests, or interacting with built-in AI features. Good governance means permissions are granted only when needed and are revisited as software, workflows, and risks change.
It matters because browser permissions define the trust boundary attackers try to cross. A malicious or over-privileged extension may use broad access to observe sensitive pages, influence page state, or feed data into an assistant in ways the user did not intend. Defenders use permission governance to reduce that risk by enforcing least privilege, restricting host access, reviewing installed extensions, and auditing whether AI-enabled browser features can be affected by extension-originated content or scripts.