Hot Take Google Chrome warns uBlock Origin may soon be disabled

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mlnevese

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It's the end of Manifest v2 era. At least for Chrome. Other browsers won't adopt Manifest v 3.

www.bleepingcomputer.com

Google Chrome warns uBlock Origin may soon be disabled

Google Chrome is now encouraging uBlock Origin users who have updated to the latest version to switch to other ad blockers before Manifest v2 extensions are disabled
www.bleepingcomputer.com www.bleepingcomputer.com
 
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Let's not be sad too much. uBO Lite will do the job. The biggest disadvantage (in my eyes) is that it isn't tweakable. However, this will benefit people who think they're experienced but in reality mess up the settings. Who wants tweaking, adding user rules and custom filterlists is possible in Adguard MV3 beta (bonus: it offers an element picker for cosmetic filtering). And of course you can choose a desktop alternative, such as Adguard for Windows or BlackFog. Even on DNS level much remains possible (NextDNS, ControlD). Also there will be browsers that keep supporting MV2.

Edit: AG MV3 version 5.0.33 now with filtering log.
 
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nickstar1 said:
Unlock lite is awful for me YouTube videos that won’t load or advertisements that bypass it. No problems with the old version of ublock.
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uBO Lite offers three filtering modes. Which one(s) did you choose?

Edit: In the meantime I found time to install uBO Lite (Complete filtering mode) in MS Edge and to try on YouTube. I didn't see any problem. BTW, I will not use uBO Lite (or another MV3 adblocker) as long as MS Edge supports MV2. Only for some testing I use now and then a MV3 adblocker. Based on that, as I said before, my opinion is that uBO Lite will do the job.
 
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I'm curious how much longer suppliers of browserextensions will simultaneoesly offer a MV2 and a MV3 version. A sign in the direction that MV2 will not survive, is the new Malwarebytes Browser Guard MV3. They say: "A similar change in Firefox is coming soon".
View Google Manifest V3 and Malwarebytes Browser Guard | Malwarebytes
 
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Jan Willy said:
I'm curious how much longer suppliers of browserextensions will simultaneoesly offer a MV2 and a MV3 version. A sign in the direction that MV2 will not survive, is the new Malwarebytes Browser Guard MV3. They say: "A similar change in Firefox is coming soon".
View Google Manifest V3 and Malwarebytes Browser Guard | Malwarebytes
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Barely any, I think as you are already guessing. Mostly extensions that are mainly a one-man project where the developers themselves are avid Firefox users like uBlock Origin and a few others.
 
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I still have the MV2 version of Ublock in Edge and FF. Back when I still had Chrome installed I tried Ublock Lite and it really was not very good, especially on YouTube, but I think that may have just been the way Google wants it. I suppose Google will stop at nothing to keep showing us ads. I removed Chrome some time ago, won't use it again. Edge is my default browser now and the MV2 version of Ublock still works fine in Edge and FF for the time being. If/when the MV2 Ublock goes away I will try Ublock Lite in both browsers. If Ublock Lite does not work out I will look at Adguard or some other alternative. For now I will just leave well enough alone.

C.H.
 
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SeriousHoax said:
Barely any, I think as you are already guessing. Mostly extensions that are mainly a one-man project where the developers themselves are avid Firefox users like uBlock Origin and a few others.
Click to expand...
This has been my view for quite some time. Over time, even Brave and Firefox will end support when they see the data to confirm such a decision makes sense. MV2 will slowly recede into the sunset, like cowboys of the Old West.
 
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If you want to stick to Chromium, an official Registry hack exists that allows extending the support for MV2 add-ons with the help of the "ExtensionManifestV2Availability" policy that is designed for enterprises. Enabling the policy allows an extended year of support for MV2 add-ons till June 2025. The policy works on Windows, as well as macOS, and Linux. Chrome version 110 or newer is needed, while for Edge, it is version 123 or later.

Reddit user TeamDJ brought attention to the policy that can be added inside the Windows Registry using the Registry Editor app (Regedit) as a DWORD. They wrote:
  1. Open up the “Registry Editor” Program
  2. Navigate to: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome
  3. With the Chrome folder on the left highlighted, select Edit/New/DWORD (32-Bit Value)
    or, if you prefer, on the right side of the screen in a BLANK SPOT, you can RIGHT CLICK New/DWORD (32-Bit Value).
  4. Name it ExtensionManifestV2Availability and hit enter.
  5. Right click what you just created (ExtensionManifestV2Availability) and click Modify. Set the Hexadecimal value to 2, and click OK.
  6. You’re done, but check your work by opening Chrome, and pasting chrome://policy in the URL Address bar and hit enter. You should see the ExtensionManifestV2Availability policy, and the value should be set to 2. If you don’t see it, click “Reload Policies” and/or review your work.
Click to expand...
www.neowin.net

Official Windows Registry hack extends uBlock Origin support on Google Chrome, Edge

An official Windows Registry hack exists that allows users to keep using uBlock Origin as well as other similar Manifest V2 extensions that are no longer supported on Google Chrome.
www.neowin.net www.neowin.net
 
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Google's Chrome Browser Starts Disabling uBlock Origin
If you’re a fan of uBlock Origin, don’t be surprised if it stops functioning on Chrome. The Google-owned browser has started disabling the free ad blocker as part of the company’s plan to phase out older “Manifest V2” extensions.

On Tuesday, the developer of uBlock Origin, Raymond Hill, retweeted a screenshot from one user, showing the Chrome browser disabling the ad blocker. “These extensions are no longer supported. Chrome recommends that you remove them,” the pop-up from the Chrome browser told the user.
Click to expand...
This occurs when the Chrome Web Store has already been discouraging users from downloading uBlock Origin, or even delisting the extension, with a warning that says “it doesn't follow best practices for Chrome extensions.” That said, PCMag was still able to download and use the extension over Chrome. So the disabling and delisting may not be wide-scale at the moment. Google didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Click to expand...
www.pcmag.com

Google's Chrome Browser Starts Disabling uBlock Origin

The browser is doing so as part of Google's plan to phase out older Manifest V2 extensions to bolster Chrome's security. Still, some uBlock Origin users aren't happy about the change.
www.pcmag.com www.pcmag.com
 
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After trying most extensions recently I finally decided on ADGuard for Windows for Firefox & Edge (which I don't use often) & Ublock Origin with Wolf - I did have issues with ADguard but all is well for some time now & my family/lifetime licence for ADGuard had been honoured for many years by the developers - Google can do as it pleases.
 
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