Google automatically disables uBlock Origin on Google Chrome: Difference between revisions
Began page describing google chrome's transition to mv3 that will likely limit effectiveness of adblockers |
m Keith moved page Google automatically disables uBlock Origin adblocker on Google Chrome to Google automatically disables uBlock Origin on Google Chrome: removed adblocker from title since it is not technically an adblocker, and the title is still fine without the word |
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On March 4, 2025, Google Chrome automatically disabled uBlock Origin, | {{Incomplete|Issue 1=It needs up to date information of the current state of Manifest V3, and how it currently impact users still that are still using Google Chrome.}} | ||
On March 4, 2025, [https://consumerrights.wiki/Google_Chrome Google Chrome] automatically disabled [https://ublockorigin.com/ uBlock Origin], the most popular content blocker to date<ref>{{Cite web |title=Privacy & Security |url=https://chromewebstore.google.com/category/extensions/make_chrome_yours/privacy |url-status=live |access-date=16 Aug 2025 |website=Chrome Web Store}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=6,320 extensions found in Privacy & Security |url=https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/extensions/category/privacy-security/ |url-status=live |access-date=8 Aug 2025 |website=addons.mozilla.org}}</ref>, for all users as part of shift to the [https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/what-is-mv3 Manifest V3] version of Chrome. | |||
==Background== | ==Background== | ||
µBlock, first published on June 23rd, 2014, was forked into uBlock Origin, released on Jun 23, 2018<ref>{{Cite web |title=uBlock Release 0.1.0.2 |url=https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases/tag/0.1.0.2 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-08-22 |website=GitHub}}</ref>. It is a wide-spectrum content blocker<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blocking mode |url=https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/wiki/Blocking-mode |url-status=live |access-date=2025-08-22 |website=GitHub}}</ref> that browser users may install as an extension to block unwanted content while browsing the web, including advertisements, scripts, pop-ups, malware, crypominers, trackers, remote fonts, and more. It provides many benefits for users including lowered CPU usage, lowered memory usage, lowered network bandwidth usage, improved privacy, and improved security. uBlock Origin empowers users to take control of what is loaded and run in their computer's browser, providing users with a faster, safer, and less obtrusive web browsing experience. | |||
== | ==Introduction of Manifest V3== | ||
{{Placeholder box|Change this section's title to be descriptive of the incident. | {{Placeholder box|Change this section's title to be descriptive of the incident. | ||
Impartial and complete description of the events, including actions taken by the company, and the timeline of the incident coming to the public's attention.}} | Impartial and complete description of the events, including actions taken by the company, and the timeline of the incident coming to the public's attention.}}In 2018, Google announced that it would begin a shift to a new version of Google Chrome extension manifest called Manifest V3, or MV3 for short, "to create stronger security, privacy, and performance guarantees."<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 Oct 2018 |title=Trustworthy Chrome Extensions, by default |url=https://blog.chromium.org/2018/10/trustworthy-chrome-extensions-by-default.html |url-status=live |access-date=23 Mar 2025 |website=Chromium Blog}}</ref> In 2020, Google released a beta version of MV3,<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 Dec 2020 |title=Manifest V3 now available on M88 Beta |url=https://blog.chromium.org/2020/12/manifest-v3-now-available-on-m88-beta.html |url-status=live |access-date=23 Mar 2025 |website=Chromium Blog}}</ref> and by early 2022, Google Chrome disallowed users to release extensions on the [https://chromewebstore.google.com/ Chrome Web Store] that were only incompatible with MV3.<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 Oct 2024 |title=Manifest V2 support timeline |url=https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/mv2-deprecation-timeline |url-status=live |access-date=23 Mar 2025 |website=Chrome for Developers}}</ref> | ||
== | ==Google's response== | ||
{{Placeholder box|If applicable, add the proposed solution to the issues by the company.}} | {{Placeholder box|If applicable, add the proposed solution to the issues by the company.}} | ||
==Consumer response== | ==Consumer response== | ||
{{Placeholder box|Summary and key issues of prevailing sentiment from the consumers and commentators that can be documented via articles, emails to support, reviews and forum posts.}} | {{Placeholder box|Summary and key issues of prevailing sentiment from the consumers and commentators that can be documented via articles, emails to support, reviews and forum posts.}} | ||
There are doubts that MV3 does much for the security, since according to the [https://www.eff.org/ Electronic Frontier Foundation], "when a malicious extension sneaks through the security review process, it is usually interested in simply observing the conversation between your browser and whatever websites you visit"<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Barnett |first=Daly |date=9 December 2021 |title=Chrome Users Beware: Manifest V3 is Deceitful and Threatening |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/12/chrome-users-beware-manifest-v3-deceitful-and-threatening#MV3quotes |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250727115638/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/12/chrome-users-beware-manifest-v3-deceitful-and-threatening#MV3quotes |archive-date=27 Jul 2025 |access-date=16 Aug 2025 |work=Electronic Frontier Foundation}}</ref>. And to quote Firefox’s Add-On Operations Manager: "they can still do that with the current webRequest API that is not blocking".<ref name=":0" /> | |||
Users can still browse the web without ads and with reduced tracking by switching to a browser which continues to support Manifest V2 and the full version of uBlock Origin, such as [https://www.getfirefox.com Mozilla Firefox] or the Chromium-based [https://brave.com/ Brave]. | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
[[Category:Google]] | |||
[[Category:UBlock Origin]] | |||
Latest revision as of 21:18, 3 September 2025
⚠️ Article status notice: This article has been marked as incomplete
This article needs additional work for its sourcing and verifiability to meet the wiki's Content Guidelines and be in line with our Mission Statement for comprehensive coverage of consumer protection issues. In particular:
- It needs up to date information of the current state of Manifest V3, and how it currently impact users still that are still using Google Chrome.
This notice will be removed once the issue/s highlighted above have been addressed and sufficient documentation has been added to establish the systemic nature of these issues. Once you believe the article is ready to have its notice removed, please visit the Moderator's noticeboard, or the discord and post to the #appeals channel.
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On March 4, 2025, Google Chrome automatically disabled uBlock Origin, the most popular content blocker to date[1][2], for all users as part of shift to the Manifest V3 version of Chrome.
Background[edit | edit source]
µBlock, first published on June 23rd, 2014, was forked into uBlock Origin, released on Jun 23, 2018[3]. It is a wide-spectrum content blocker[4] that browser users may install as an extension to block unwanted content while browsing the web, including advertisements, scripts, pop-ups, malware, crypominers, trackers, remote fonts, and more. It provides many benefits for users including lowered CPU usage, lowered memory usage, lowered network bandwidth usage, improved privacy, and improved security. uBlock Origin empowers users to take control of what is loaded and run in their computer's browser, providing users with a faster, safer, and less obtrusive web browsing experience.
Introduction of Manifest V3[edit | edit source]
In 2018, Google announced that it would begin a shift to a new version of Google Chrome extension manifest called Manifest V3, or MV3 for short, "to create stronger security, privacy, and performance guarantees."[5] In 2020, Google released a beta version of MV3,[6] and by early 2022, Google Chrome disallowed users to release extensions on the Chrome Web Store that were only incompatible with MV3.[7]
Google's response[edit | edit source]
Consumer response[edit | edit source]
There are doubts that MV3 does much for the security, since according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, "when a malicious extension sneaks through the security review process, it is usually interested in simply observing the conversation between your browser and whatever websites you visit"[8]. And to quote Firefox’s Add-On Operations Manager: "they can still do that with the current webRequest API that is not blocking".[8]
Users can still browse the web without ads and with reduced tracking by switching to a browser which continues to support Manifest V2 and the full version of uBlock Origin, such as Mozilla Firefox or the Chromium-based Brave.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Privacy & Security". Chrome Web Store. Retrieved 16 Aug 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "6,320 extensions found in Privacy & Security". addons.mozilla.org. Retrieved 8 Aug 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "uBlock Release 0.1.0.2". GitHub. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Blocking mode". GitHub. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Trustworthy Chrome Extensions, by default". Chromium Blog. 1 Oct 2018. Retrieved 23 Mar 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Manifest V3 now available on M88 Beta". Chromium Blog. 9 Dec 2020. Retrieved 23 Mar 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Manifest V2 support timeline". Chrome for Developers. 9 Oct 2024. Retrieved 23 Mar 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 Barnett, Daly (9 December 2021). "Chrome Users Beware: Manifest V3 is Deceitful and Threatening". Electronic Frontier Foundation. Archived from the original on 27 Jul 2025. Retrieved 16 Aug 2025.