Here's what's happening to ad blockers in Google Chrome
An explanation of Manifest V3, why it matters, and what uBlock Origin is doing about it.
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It’s incredibly easy to see these changes as Google clamping down on ad blockers to protect its monopoly in online advertising. I don’t think that’s necessarily the case: Google knows as well as I do that a total crackdown would give governments like the European Union and United States more ammo for antitrust lawsuits. It would also be a motivator for more people to switch browsers, which would weaken Google’s browser monopoly. The stated claims about security benefits also make sense...
If Google wanted to crack down on adblockers without risking an antitrust lawsuit in the EU, they might look to introduce features that undermine adblockers as a plausibly unintended side effect of some other valid goal, like security. That's what this looks like. Without access to internal communications no one can prove that Google intended the effect on adblockers, but it's certainly convenient for them, while plausibly deniable.
There are malicious extensions found in the chrome web store pretty frequently, and if I was making one, I would definitely use the API that lets me man-in-the-middle all network requests. So google’s statement that 40% or whatever of malicious extensions use that API seems plausible to me.
You could definitely make the argument that Google should just do a better job of reviewing extensions, but that alone also wouldn’t be a 100% solution. Google definitely messed up with the original rule limits, though. If chrome is more optimized then surely it must be able to handle just as many (if not more) rules than uBO.
You could implement a permissions system that is comprehensive and granular enough to not allow random extensions to intercept network requests. Also, basically Google is then admitting their extension moderation is crap.
I doubt they have "messed it up". Just as intended.
Exactly.
What is the point of your comment? Everybody and their grandmother (including the bycicles and the EU) understands the point of Google's changes. There's no need to prove shit. Chrome is a choice, doesn't come on any platforms as default (that support extensions). Personally I changed back to FF when they first announced these changes a few years back.
Also FF will be affected by V3 and require some changes to avoid V3, at least if Mozilla can leave the contract, as intended, with Google as the main sponsor until 2024, otherwise it will have to abide by its conditions. The only which can't avoid it, is the user of Chrome itself. The devs of most other companies are already working to show the middlefinger to Google, in the EU anyway. Vivaldi has an inbuild ad/trackerblocker which can use remote lists that are not affected, out of reach of Google, no need of the Chrome Store for this, also no need of Tampermonkey, Greasymonkey u other extensions to install scripts as extensions itself, if needed.
Implemeting support for v3 is not the same as dropping web request blocking API from v2... Google pays to Mozilla for service they provide having them as default search engine - it's not a sponsorship...
Saying that, I've done some more recent research and Google has already softened their stance on requests blocking with current manifesto proposal of up to 5k dynamic rules with a proposal to extend up to 30k being popular.Sources: https://developer.chrome.com/blog/improvements-to-content-filtering-in-manifest-v3/ proposal: https://github.com/w3c/webextensions/issues/319#issuecomment-1682073791
Well, Mozilla recive money from Google, not only to use it as default search engine, it's way deeper, so Mozilla send data to Alphabet, googleanalytics and googletagmanager, as said, if you create an account in Mozilla, Google also receive this data.
The Firefox save browsing API is also from Google, the same which also in the Cromiums, which in Vivaldi can be desactivated in the settings, like other Google APIs left to the user choice. Extern sponsores never are a good idea, it gives other the power to make decisions for the own brand. I hope that Mozilla manages to finish this contract next year, as intended.
Yes, Google can limit the lists which use adblocker extensions, eg uBO, but not the lists itself used by others. Anyone can use the filterlist he want. I think that also FF will be forced in the future to use an inbuild adblocker.
To be clear Google has no direct way to force FF to do shit. The reason Google is implementing v3 is to disrupt adblocking (by dropping v2 APIs) the reason Mozilla is supporting v3 is to make life easier for extension Devs. They don't have to comply with same restrictions
Mozilla don't make life easier for the devs, these must anyway change to V3, yes or yes, or their extensions will stop working and die, that simple.
Firefox safe browsing API is also from Google
It is, however it doesn't send data to google. Browser receives the list of all unsafe pages and checks against it locally
Not at all, the API also send Data to Google, its not a simple list hosted by the Browser but by Google. At least I've desactivated it, because the adblocker do the same, if you use eg uBO, it also wikk block webs with malware or fraudulent content, because these are also in the blocklists, so the save browsing API isn't really needed. Better sending data to GitHub as to Google.
