Google will limit ad blockers in Chrome: when will it happen and how will it affect you

Google Chrome expects to bring about one of the most important changes in its history with the help of Manifest V3 (MV3). The introduction of such technology, which was originally announced in 2018, is expected to improve security and privacy by introducing restrictions on browser extensions. However, Mountain View developed this solution with one main goal: limit the operation of ad blockers or ad blockers.

This has caused great controversy both in the technology sector and among users. To the point that at the end of 2022, Google suspended the transition of Chrome from Manifest V2 to Manifest V3 and resumed it only in the last part of 2023. This allowed the developers to make some modifications to calm things down. But this issue is still a matter of debate.

If you still don’t quite understand what we’re talking about, don’t worry, we’ll explain it in the simplest way possible. The V3 manifest is a new specification against which Google Chrome extensions should be developed. It replaces Manifest V2, which is currently used by plugins of this type.

From June 2024, all extensions based on Manifest V2 will no longer work in the Developer, Canary, and Beta versions of Google Chrome. This means they will be automatically disabled and can no longer be installed from the Chrome Web Store. But that’s not all, as the “Recommended” icon will also be removed from the aforementioned extension store. In the coming months, this measure will gradually begin to be applied among users of the stable version of the browser.

While this will affect all Google Chrome extensions, ad blockers will be hit the hardest. Because? Because one of the changes introduced in Manifest V3, death blow about how these types of tools work today.

How Google Chrome will limit ad blockers

Google Chrome’s ad blockers rely on a very powerful API called web request. Moving from Manifest V2 to Manifest V3 involves removing this API and replacing it with a call. declarativeNetRequest. This comes with a limit on the number of dynamic rules that can include extensions that filter content. The limit was initially 5,000, but after criticism it was increased to 30,000.

However, opponents argue that this figure is not only arbitrary, but also insufficient. If we focus on uBlock Origin, one of the most popular ad blockers in Google Chrome, we see that it uses over 300,000 filtering rules. They not only prevent online advertisements from being displayed, but also detect and stop trackers and threats such as malware.

Other similar tools such as Adblock Plus or AdGuard, they don’t use as many dynamic rules as uBlock Origin. However, they were among those calling on Google to reconsider the 5000 limit, as it would otherwise be impossible to port their extensions to the Chrome Manifest V3 specification.

Will it ad blockers in Chrome?

The quick answer is: “No.”. The more detailed answer is a little more complicated. The introduction of Manifest V3 in Google Chrome will dramatically limit the functionality of ad blockers. The example we gave with uBlock Origin is pretty clear on this issue.

Once the transition to the new specification is complete, all extensions developed based on Manifest V2 will no longer work as they do today. This does not necessarily mean that uBlock Origin, AdBlock Plus, etc. will disappear from Google Chrome. But the user experience will change dramatically compared to other browsers when they update to MV3.

With Manifest V3, ad blockers Google Chrome will be much less effective when advertising is detected and stopped, trackers and further. And this will likely spread to the rest of the Chromium-based browsers that support Chrome extensions, such as Microsoft Edge.

However, be careful: the implementation of this new technology will not be the same across all browsers. In early 2023, Mozilla announced that it would include Manifest V3 in Firefox.in order to reduce incompatibility between its browser and its Chromium-based competitors. The Foundation concluded that developers may be forced to create and maintain two completely different versions of the same plugin, and that this may sooner or later limit its availability on a given platform.

However, the creators of Firefox have indicated that, unlike Google Chrome, its support for Manifest V3 will not limit the operation of ad blockers and other content filtering extensions.

“Content blockers are very important to privacy-conscious Firefox users and are generally the most popular type of extension. Not only do they stop annoying ads from following you around the web, but they also make your browsing experience faster and smoother. […]

Rest assured, despite these changes to the new Chrome extension architecture, Firefox’s implementation of Manifest V3 will ensure that users can access the most effective tools available, such as uBlock Origin and other extensions that block content and preserve privacy.”

Mozilla Foundation.

Renewal of the eternal dispute

The restriction on the use of ad blockers in Google Chrome has revived the eternal debate about right or wrong, fair or unfair. Online advertising is the most important source of income for millions of websites that offer free content to their visitors. While this is not an exceptional case, it is particularly applicable to media outlets that engage in independent journalism and provide quality reporting. It is logical that resistance to ad blockers comes mainly from this sector.

Many of those who advocate ad blockers They claim that some portals misuse advertisements to entice users to click on them. A practice they consider unfair and making it difficult to view content. Others, meanwhile, believe that everything available on the Internet was, is, and should be free forever, and that if those responsible for creating that content can’t monetize it, it’s not their problem or they’re not interested.

Are there nuances between different positions? Certainly. Ad blocker configuration options have improved significantly in both Google Chrome and other browsers. Today you can support unobtrusive advertising, without third-party trackers, or create a “white list” of sites that allow advertising. In some cases, they even offer the option to display ads on certain YouTube and Twitch channels. And until FBI recommended to use ad blockers to protect yourself from the growing threat of online malware.

But the reality is that the most strident positions on this issue tend to pit white against black and don’t pay too much attention to the gray. It is no wonder that debates on this issue on social networks flare up quite violently without much effort.

Criticism of Google for changes to Chrome

Criticism of Google for limiting ad blockers in Chrome goes a little further than the measure itself. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, for example, accused Mountain View residents of fraudulently transition to Manifest V3. He also states that Californians are being disingenuous by claiming that this new specification is aimed at improving the security and privacy of users, when their main purpose is to track them in order to show them personalized ads.

Anyway, Google remains committed to implementing Manifest V3. Starting next June, the way ad blockers work in the world’s most popular browser will change forever. Will there be a mass transition from Chrome to alternative browsers? The threat of this event is latent, although it remains to be seen whether it will actually materialize.