Google Chrome, the most widely used browser, has begun the process of stopping ad blockers, including the popular uBlock Origin, from working. Users who still rely on uBlock Origin could soon find it disabled without much warning.
uBlock Origin No Longer Fully Supported on Chrome
People started noticing this change when Raymond Hill, who created uBlock Origin, shared a screenshot from a user’s browser showing that Chrome had disabled the ad blocker. The pop-up notification explained that the extension no longer follows the “best practices” for Chrome. Hill commented online that this is the start of a broader removal process.
The deprecation of uBO in the Chrome Web Store has started.https://t.co/VhvsZ2bhLa
— R. Hill (@gorhill) October 15, 2024
— R. Hill (@gorhill) August 2, 2024
This isn’t a surprise for many. Chrome’s plan to remove extensions built on the older “Manifest V2” framework has been in the works for several years. Since June of this year, Google has been ramping up efforts to fully switch to “Manifest V3,” a newer framework aimed at enhancing security, but with major downsides for extensions like uBlock Origin.
This transition represents a significant change in the Chrome extension ecosystem, aiming to enhance security and performance while addressing developer concerns through ongoing improvements to the Manifest V3 framework. The manifest framework governs how browser extensions interact with Google Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers.
Google’s Push for Manifest V3 Has Sparked Criticism
The idea behind Google’s transition to Manifest V3 is to protect users from potentially malicious extensions by limiting what third-party tools can do, particularly ad blockers. With over 39 million downloads, uBlock Origin has a large user base that may not welcome this shift. This change affects extensions’ ability to block content at a network level, reducing their effectiveness.
However, not all ad blockers have been hit as hard. Many of the more commercial ones have already updated to Manifest V3, but Hill has been vocal about his opposition, pointing out that the new standard will break essential functionality. This has left users considering alternatives, including switching browsers. Firefox remains one of the few browsers still fully supporting older ad-blocking technologies.
New Version of uBlock Origin—But It’s Not the Same
For those who want to stick with Chrome, Hill has released “uBlock Origin Lite”, an alternative designed to work with Manifest V3. The Lite version, however, lacks many of the features that made the original so popular. The user base for uBlock Origin Lite is currently much smaller, only around 700,000 compared to the millions who use the original.
The Manifest V3 shift has prompted some to switch to other browsers. Brave and Firefox are popular options, with Firefox being hailed by developers and privacy advocates as the last major browser that allows fully functioning ad blockers. Brave, although built on Chromium, still offers more flexibility for privacy-conscious users.
Other Ad Blocker Developers Also Push Back Against Google’s Changes
It’s not just Hill who has an issue with the direction Google is heading. The team behind Ghostery, another ad blocker, has spoken out against the limitations of Manifest V3. In a statement, Ghostery’s CEO argued that the new framework doesn’t actually improve privacy in the ways that Google claims and instead reduces the effectiveness of most ad blockers.
For Chrome users who want to keep using uBlock Origin, there may not be much time left before the extension is completely disabled. Even though Google has yet to respond directly to questions about the future of ad blockers, the writing seems to be on the wall for V2-based extensions.
Last Updated on November 7, 2024 2:33 pm CET