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Google Chrome is killing all uBlock Origin bypasses, Microsoft Edge, Opera to follow
Google is finalizing the removal of Manifest V2 support in Chrome, effectively disabling ad-blockers like uBlock Origin that rely on deprecated API methods.
What: Google is moving to permanently end support for Manifest V2 extensions, a change that forces developers to adopt Manifest V3. Because Manifest V3 restricts the capabilities of content-blocking extensions, Raymond Hill's uBlock Origin will cease to function as currently designed, with similar constraints expected to hit Microsoft Edge and Opera browsers.
Why it matters: This shift centralizes browser control over network request interception, undermining long-standing user-side privacy tools in favor of a plugin architecture that favors Google's advertising-friendly constraints.
Deep dive
- Google is deprecating Manifest V2 to enforce its Manifest V3 extension architecture.
- Manifest V3 limits the 'webRequest' API, which is critical for real-time blocking of network requests used by ad-blockers.
- uBlock Origin, a widely-used extension, cannot maintain its efficacy under the new declarativeNetRequest API mandated by V3.
- Microsoft Edge and Opera, both built on the Chromium engine, are expected to follow Chrome's lead in disabling legacy V2 support.
- Users relying on advanced filtering may be forced to switch browsers or adopt enterprise-managed bypasses.
Decoder
- Manifest V2/V3: A set of rules and APIs provided by Chromium for browser extensions, where V3 significantly restricts how extensions can modify web content or intercept network traffic.
- declarativeNetRequest: An API introduced in Manifest V3 that requires extensions to pre-declare their blocking rules to the browser, rather than filtering traffic dynamically.
Original article
Chrome is looking to permanently drop Manifest V2 extensions and its bypasses.
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