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Google appears to be turning the screw on ad blockers, with an indication that it is turning off uBlock Origin.
A post on X from the developer of the free ad blocker Chrome extension has signaled further changes to come, as he predicted a downturn for the browsing tool.
Raymond Hill had quote posted another user, Christoph Nakazawa, who posted a screenshot showing Google Chrome prohibiting three extensions — MDN Search, Neat URL, and uBlock Origin — with the advice that “These extensions are no longer supported. Chrome recommends that you remove them.”
Nakazawa pondered if it was time to adopt a new browser after 15 years of using the Google offering, but he intimated he was no longer willing to tolerate the “nefarious behavior” of the U.S. tech giant.
https://twitter.com/gorhill/status/1846185858744869245
Emergence of uBlock Origin Lite
The development does not come as a surprise given previous indications from Google, especially after it moved from Manifest V2 to Manifest V3, a new extension specification that appears likely to impact the effectiveness of some ad blockers.
In response, uBlock Origin has launched uBlock Origin Lite, using Manifest V3, but this will not be an endless game of cat and mouse. A key difference this time is you have to manually install the extension as it’s “too different from uBO to be an automatic replacement,” according to a Hill in a FAQ posted to GitHub.
He also indicated a different user experience when using uBlock Origin Lite compared to the main product, depending on the sites you visit and the configuration of the extension.
“In general, uBOL will be less effective at dealing with websites using anti-content blockers or minimizing website breakage because many filters can’t be converted into DNR [Declarative Net Request] rules,” added Hill.
As reported by The Verge, a statement from Google spokesperson Scott Westover said “The top content filtering extensions all have Manifest V3 versions available – with options for users of AdBlock, Adblock Plus, uBlock Origin and AdGuard.”
Google, which updated Password Manager to allow passkey to be synced across different devices, has also been pushing to prevent ad blockers on YouTube.
Image credit: Via Abite
