Google has removed a Chrome extension from its store that was designed to track Jewish people, after it was found to be perpetrating and facilitating racist hate online.

Chrome extensions are free add-ons that are normally created to help make browsing experience more efficient.

"Coincidence Detector" singled out Jewish people online by putting three sets of parentheses around their names.

It compiled the list of names by asking people for suggestions,listing nearly 8,786 Jewish people. If a website contained a specific name on that list, the plug-in would place parentheses around it.

The use of triple parentheses dates back at least a year. Anti-Semites and white supremacists have been using it as a symbol of their movement online.

A Google spokeswoman said the extension violated the company's hate speech policy, which doesn't allow "content advocating against groups of people based on their race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, veteran status, or sexual orientation/gender identity."