Here is the Google Chrome change that alarms ad blocker creators

The next version of Google Chrome will contain features aimed at improving privacy and security management, blocking some features of the extensions used to customize the browser. This decision had bothered some developers who expected ad blocking as a first step.

The new features introduced in Google Chrome for security

Last Wednesday, at the Chrome Dev Summit, the search engine giant said that Manifest v3, The programming interface behind Google’s security plans will arrive with Chrome 88 in mid-January. However, extensions that use the previous Manifest v2 version will still work for at least one year.

Extensions can change Chrome’s behavior through Manifest v3 abilities. Among other things, it limits the number of rules that extensions can apply to a web page when loading. Rules are useful, for example, to check if a website element comes from an advertiser’s server and must therefore be blocked. Google announced the changes two years ago.

The reduction in the number of rules has troubled the creators of extensions such as the ad blocker uBlock Origin and the tracking blocker Ghostery. They claim that the limits imposed by the rules will prevent their extensions from performing all scheduled actions to view ads or block data tracking. This could allow websites to override the extensions and preferences of the users who installed them.

Google defends its technology and argues that granting extensions that are too free invites abuse. The search giant says it listened to the developers and modified the Manifest v3 in response to their suggestions, for example by easing the originally proposed limit to the rules and adding a new mechanism for enforcing some rules. Last Tuesday Eyeo, the developer of the well-known Adblock Plus extension, said he was satisfied with Google’s approach.

Ph. Credits: Photo by schoithramani from Pixabay