What you need to know
- Google announced the transition from the Manifest V2 framework to the Manifest V3 framework for privacy and security reasons, cutting support for Manifest V2-based extensions like uBlock Origin, leaving over 30 million users susceptible to intrusive ads.
- While there’s a Lite version of the ad blocker, it misses crucial features that make the experience less effective.
- Opera recently announced that it’ll continue supporting uBlock Origin running the Manifest V2 framework alongside its native ad blocker by making special modifications to Chromium’s codebase.
As a long-time user of uBlock Origin and a tech enthusiast, I find myself in a bit of a conundrum with Google’s recent decision to transition Chrome from Manifest V2 to V3, effectively rendering popular ad blockers like uBlock Origin obsolete. With over 30 million users potentially exposed to intrusive ads, it’s a bit disheartening to say the least.
The shift by Google from using the Manifest V2 framework to the Manifest V3 framework in their Chrome browser might expose approximately 30 million users to bothersome advertisements, as the Chromium browser now disregards extensions like uBlock Origin, which were previously effective in blocking such ads.
According to Windows Central, Google has shared that more than 93% of actively supported extensions in the Chrome Web Store are already utilizing Manifest Version 3. Notably, all top content-filtering extensions, such as AdBlock, Adblock Plus, uBlock Origin, and AdGuard, have corresponding Manifest V3 versions available for their users.
It’s worth mentioning that the company recently introduced a lighter version of their popular ad-blocker called uBlock Origin Lite. This new version complies with Google’s rigorous Manifest V3 guidelines. Although uBlock Origin Lite maintains the essential ad-blocking functions as its predecessor, it lacks in several crucial areas, such as dynamic filtering for blocking ads, scriptlet injection, and more.
The news has sparked some skepticism, leading certain individuals to contemplate switching to alternative browsers that accommodate uBlock Origin, such as Brave. Notably, Brave prides itself on its integrated ad and tracker blocker. Furthermore, it intends to maintain compatibility with uBlock Origin, which could entice a significant portion of Chrome’s user community to embrace its offerings.
Opera will continue supporting uBlock Origin
As a tech enthusiast, I’m excited to share that, based on information from Neowin, Opera seems to be jumping into the action, similar to Brave. Just like Brave, Opera plans to carry on supporting uBlock Origin while running the Manifest V2 framework. In a blog post titled “Opera: Helping You Block Ads Naturally,” the company has signaled its commitment to helping users block ads natively.
We’re committed to keeping Manifest V2 extensions operational within Opera, regardless of the decisions made by other browsers. As a result, Opera’s browser users can anticipate using their preferred ad blocker extensions that have not been upgraded yet.
Rest assured, Opera has been and will remain committed to providing strong in-built ad blocking features, irrespective of changes in ad blocker extensions. This is a capability we’ve offered since 2016, making us one of the pioneers in this area.
People significantly affected by Google’s choice to discontinue support for uBlock Origin, as part of their switch to the Manifest V3 framework for enhanced security and privacy, might consider switching to Brave or Opera instead, thus possibly reducing Google Chrome’s widespread user base.
As an analyst, I acknowledge that Opera, similar to Google Chrome, is constructed using open-source code. This shared foundation implies that Opera will be affected by the Manifest V3 updates in Chromium. To ensure uninterrupted functionality of uBlock Origin, Opera plans to make necessary modifications directly to the codebase.
According to Opera:
“While we want to be able to offer the best possible support, our focus will be on maintaining a safe and secure experience for users, both within our Add-ons Store and with extensions that come from outside sources. In the coming days and weeks, we will be reaching out to selected extension developers to determine the best and safest way forward.”
It would be intriguing to observe the effects of Google abandoning the Manifest V2 framework in favor of V3 on its current market dominance in Chrome compared to other web browsers, notably Brave and Opera, which are adopting a different strategy for the transition from Manifest V2 to V3.
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2024-10-28 13:09