Disaster Google pulls the plug on uBlock Origin, leaving over 30 million Chrome users susceptible to intrusive ads - Chromebros on suicide watch, Firefox pooner chads keep winning

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Google pulls the plug on uBlock Origin, leaving over 30 million Chrome users susceptible to intrusive ads ​

Google ramps up its campaign against ad blockers on Chrome.
By Kevin Okemwa, published yesterday

What you need to know​

• Google is transitioning Chrome's extension support from the Manifest V2 framework to the V3.
• This means users won't be able to use uBlock Origin to block ads on Google Chrome.
• However, there's a new iteration of the app — uBlock Origin Lite, which is Manifest V3 compliant but doesn't boast the original version's comprehensive ad-blocking features.

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Google's campaign against ad blockers across its services just got more aggressive. According to a report by PC World, the company has made some alterations to its extension support on Google Chrome.

Google Chrome recently changed its extension support from the Manifest V2 framework to the new Manifest V3 framework. The browser policy changes will impact one of the most popular adblockers (arguably), uBlock Origin.

The transition to the Manifest V3 framework means extensions like uBlock Origin can't use remotely hosted code. According to Google, it "presents security risks by allowing unreviewed code to be executed in extensions." The new policy changes will only allow an extension to execute JavaScript as part of its package.

Over 30 million Google Chrome users use uBlock Origin, but the tool will be automatically disabled soon via an update. Google will let users enable the feature via the settings for a limited period before it's completely scrapped. From this point, users will be forced to switch to another browser or choose another ad blocker.

A new version of uBlock Origin​

uBlock Origin fans can rest at ease since a new and improved version is already available — uBlock Origin Lite. It's worth noting that while the new app ships with similar features to the original version, including core ad-blocking features, it doesn't support dynamic filters for blocking scriptlet injection. The Lite version's capabilities are relatively limited due to its compliance with the Manifest V3 framework threshold.

According to uBlock Origin's developer Raymond Hill

"I consider uBO Lite to be too different from uBO to be an automatic replacement. You will have to explicitly find a replacement to uBO according to what you expect from a content blocker. uBO Lite may or may not fulfill your expectations."

uBlock Origin will continue to work as usual across other browsers, including Microsoft Edge, Opera, and more.

 

[Hitman One]

Imagine unironically using the Google botnet in current year.

 

[Justa Grata Honoria]

brave bros keep on winning

 

[Cherry Dude]

Guess I'm going to have to finally switch away from Chrome. Writing was on the wall for a while. Convenience was the only thing keeping me around.

Anyone kiwis got any recommendations for another browser that'll let me keep my settings/saved passwords/etc?

 

[Grub]

The transition to the Manifest V3 framework means extensions like uBlock Origin can't use remotely hosted code. According to Google, it "presents security risks by allowing unreviewed code to be executed in extensions." The new policy changes will only allow an extension to execute JavaScript as part of its package

I truly fucking hate corporate nannyisms used to justify removing features from software. Safety and security are the two most misused and abused phrases when it comes to software. It's never about safety or security, it's about removing control from users over their software and hardware. It's my fucking computer, if I want to run sketchy code from a third party server, I will run code from a sketchy third party server. Google and all these companies pretending to protect people from themselves by neutering technology can go eat the biggest bag of shit.

 

[Mass Toe Baiter]

Im still using chrome for convenience, but the second I see a single fucking ad, im switching to brave

 

[Faceless Whore]

Imagine unironically using the Google botnet in current year.

Can't tell if Brave and other Chrome based browsers are included in that stat, but since Edge isn't and it's Chrome based perhaps not.

 

[Seething Troon Collector]

In 2024, you either need to be using Brave or Librewolf. I feel like this needs to be stated once again, for the retards in the back...

DO NOT USE GOOGLE CHROME YOU FUCKING RETARD!

There really isn't any other way to put it. Stop using Gmail. Stop using Youtube (it sucks now anyway). Stop using Chrome. It's really that simple. If you stop using Google, Google will wither and die. They will make the service worse, more people will leave. It's a downward spiral.

The manifestv2 writing has been on the wall for a while now. This is your reminder to ditch Google. It's zero hour. Get the fuck out.

 

[The Cunting Death]

I'm still not giving you a goddamn cent Google.

 

[XANA]

I used to use Brave a lot due to their BAT system and Null promoting it. However, in the recent years, their BAT system no longer really functions properly. I don't know how impacted Brave will be later down in the MV3 era, but I'm hoping that their built-in ad blocker will also mitigate the change. There's not a lot of reasons for me to keep using Chromium-based browsers like Brave, since Firefox and its similar browsers have similar extensions to the ones I used. Firefox still eats quite a lot of memory, and I still have to tweak things in order to get it down to a manageable level.

 

[Seething Troon Collector]

There's not a lot of reasons for me to keep using Chromium-based browsers like Brave, since Firefox and its similar browsers have similar extensions to the ones I used. Firefox still eats quite a lot of memory, and I still have to tweak things in order to get it down to a manageable level.

I'm in the same boat. Once adnauseum no longer functions in Brave I will switch over to librewolf and that's that. They'll work on patching support in for manifestv2 and shields is good, but I've really grown accustomed to adnauseum and don't really want to switch.

 

[ZazietheBeast]

For extra irony, the war on ads may actually become profitable in itself! After all, ads are getting bad to the point where your average pleb has a natural revulsion to them now. Even moreso when its pro-Globohomo garbage. I can expect to see people rage supporting adblock orgs just to spite the man.

 

[JesusChristDenton]

brave bros keep on winning

Finally switched to Brave last week, never looked back since.

 

[Heed Not]

In the grimdark future of the 203rd decade, users will subscribe to Google chrome Premium which is just chrome with their in-house ad blocker tied to a Google account login session.

 

[Jump]

I have been using Brave since nool mentioned it. During the Drop KF stuff the built in TOR browser came in handy. Bone stock the Ad block works fine. Even on mobile it blocks YT ads.

It has built in password autofil and everything else you expect a browser to do today. The UI never really change and it does a good job of staying out of the way unlike trannyfox and Botnet Chrome.

 

[Death of an Ego]

My question would be if this affects chromium forks like Vivaldi? It's my default browser. I stopped using base Chrome years ago because even though it's fast, it's intrusive and really not that great.

 

[JosephStalin]

Have been using Brave for a while. Pretty good, almost never see any ads on YT.

 

[Hey Johnny Bravo]

Ayyo where my Firefox niggas at?

 

[grimacefetishist]

I'm pooner Chad? CAMAKF

 

[Ancient Pioneer]

chromium forks like Vivaldi?

Manifest V3 is a Chromium Engine thing so every derivative like Vivaldi and Brave will be affected. Brave has Ublock Origin built in to the browser rather than an extension and this topic of Manifest V2 being deprecated has come up multiple times because the adblocking and substituting it with BAT is a core feature of Brave. The best they came up with a year or two ago was tentatively state that they were not going to update to V3 initially and potentially fork Chromium just to maintain the ability to block ads completely. Last I saw, Firefox also intended to shift to a state similar to Manifest V3 so both major browser engines were going to get fucked.