The removal of uBlock Origin in Google Chrome begins.
It's time to switch to uBlock Lite or another ad blocker.
Google Chrome has begun a phased removal process of uBlock Origin. Raymond Hill, the developer of the popular free ad blocker, recently shared a screenshot showing how Chrome automatically disables uBlock Origin by indicating that it is no longer "compatible." This change occurs in the context of Google Chrome's migration to Manifest V3, a new extension specification that could affect the effectiveness of various ad blockers.
In response to this transition, uBlock Origin has released a version called uBlock Origin Lite, which uses Manifest V3. However, this new extension must be installed manually, as per a FAQ published by Hill on GitHub, it is "too different from uBO to be an automatic replacement."
The manifest is a document that provides the browser with crucial information about an extension, including its name, version number, permissions it will use, and the browser versions it is compatible with. Updates to the format of this file can change the features available to extensions. For example, in Chrome, Manifest V3 no longer allows a developer to load code from a remote server.
Hill warns that users may notice differences when using uBlock Origin Lite compared to uBlock Origin, depending on the websites they visit and the extension's settings. This is because uBlock Origin Lite has more limited filtering capabilities, as Manifest V3 imposes restrictions on the Declarative Net Request API used by ad-blocking extensions. "Overall, uBOL will be less effective at handling websites that use content blockers or minimizing issues on sites, as many filters cannot be converted to DNR rules,” Hill explains in the FAQ.
In an emailed statement, a Google spokesperson, Scott Westover, indicated that more than 93 percent of "actively maintained" extensions in the Chrome Web Store are using Manifest V3. "Major content filtering extensions already have Manifest V3 versions available, including options for AdBlock, Adblock Plus, uBlock Origin, and AdGuard,” Westover added. Since Google plans to fully implement Manifest V3 by early 2025, the company will begin disabling Manifest V2 extensions this year ahead of their complete removal.
