Advice Request Google Manifest v3 - Finding a functional alternative to UbO now?

[SearchLight]

I use Windscribe VPN. I came across a blog on their website talking about Google Manifest v3 breaking ad blocking extensions or their ability to function. UbO was mentioned specifically.

So with Google's intentions out in the open, would now be the time to find a functional alternative to UbO that will work under Manifest v3?

 

[SpiderWeb]

Don't worry until the day it's implemented. The whole pandemic has caused the Chrome team to delay a lot of features fortunately (Mv3) and unfortunately (post-quantum encryption). So I honestly doubt that it will even be implemented by the end of this year. It's risking to break too many highly popular extensions and the new work conditions don't give every developer the opportunity to respond and adapt as quickly as they need to. It's not just uBlock Origin that would be hit hard but also HTTPS Everywhere, PrivacyBadger/PrivacyPossum, Grease/Tamper/Violentmonkey, Stylish/Stylus, Decentraleyes/LocalCDN. Manifest v3 is not backwards compatible so all of them will have to rewrite them. I just can't see it happening unless Google plans to kill their most popular extensions and have everyone switch to Firefox.

There is a discussion on v3 here:

Chrome extension manifest v3 proposal · Issue #338 · uBlockOrigin/uBlock-issues

Description This issue is a heads-up on the proposed Chrome extension manifest version 3, which will have a significant impact on ad-blockers. There is a tracking bug at: https://bugs.chromium.org/...

github.com

 

[oldschool]

Eventually this will be just another reason to use Brave, Firefox or other browsers (?) that won't play Google's game.

"@enmodo @brave It won't impact us because Brave's Shields aren't implemented as an extension and don't depend on that API. Plus, whenever there are Chromium changes which we don't think are positive for the people who use Brave, we don't accept them."

Chrome Extension Manifest V3

There is a new discussion or issue in Google Chrome development about a proposed change to the extensions system in Google Chrome / Chromium development. In a nutshell, the suggested change would break the functionality of most, if not all popular ad-blocker extensions in Chromium, which the...

community.brave.com

 

[Gangelo]

Other solutions are system-wide adblockers like Adguard premium, or DNS level filtering (Pi-hole, Adguard Home, NextDNS, etc)
Personally, over the years, I have purchased a few lifetime Adguard licences for my phones and PC's.
And my Rasberry Pi4 is patiently waiting for it's next project

 

[Lenny_Fox]

Agree, except it would make more sense that people switch to another chroimium based browser

I just can't see it happening unless Google plans to kill their most popular extensions and have everyone switch to Firefox risk people switching to Edge-Chromium, Brave, Opera or Vivaldi.

That is IMO also the reason Microsoft works hard on its own extension store. The fact that Microsoft is one of the alternatives (I don't think Google is worried about Brave, Opera or Vivaldi), will be the reason that (as we say in Dutch) "the soup is not eaten as hot as served".

Google will figure out a way on how to reduce and control rights of extensions and offer an escape for these popular extensions.

 

[South Park]

Chromium-based Slim Jet has recently modified its built-in ad blocker to no longer be an extension, probably in anticipation of the Chrome manifest change.