According to a screenshot shared by uBlock Origin developer Raymond Hill, published, Google Chrome has already begun the phased discontinuation of the ad blocker.
This change is a result of Google Chrome transitioning to Manifest V3
What is Manifest? Manifest informs the browser about various details regarding the extension, from its name and version number to the permissions it will use and the browser versions it will function on. The new versions of the format alter the access to features available to extensions. For instance, Manifest V3 in Chrome no longer permits developers to load code from a remote server. — a new extension specification that may affect the effectiveness of some ad-blocking tools.
In response, uBlock Origin has launched uBlock Origin Lite, which utilizes Manifest V3. However, users will need to install the extension manually, as it is "too different from uBO to serve as an automatic replacement" (according to Hill's FAQ, published on GitHub).
At the same time, uBlock Origin Lite has limited filtering capabilities since the Manifest V3 specification imposes restrictions on the Declarative Net Request API, which extensions use for ad blocking.
A Google representative, Scott Westover, noted in a comment to The Verge that over 93% of "actively maintained" extensions in the Chrome Web Store currently utilize Manifest V3.
"All the most popular content filtering extensions have available Manifest V3 versions — with options for users of AdBlock, Adblock Plus, uBlock Origin, and AdGuard," Westover stated.
As Google plans a full rollout of Manifest V3 by early 2025, the company has announced it will start phasing out Manifest V2 extensions this year before fully removing them.
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