Newsletter
Google has started warning Chrome users about using ad blockers. The popular web browser isn’t threatening users to switch off or uninstall these extensions. However, a major change would make these ad blockers obsolete anyway.
Why is Google Chrome warning browser users about ad blockers?
Google has started to warn Chrome users about using ad blocker extensions such as uBlock Origin, with a pop-up that reads, “This extension may soon no longer be supported”. The browser is also offering users links asking them to “Remove or replace it with similar extensions” from Chrome’s Web Store. Similar warnings appear if users visit Chrome’s local Extensions page (chrome://extensions).
What’s happening is Google is cautioning users their ad blockers will soon be rendered obsolete and ineffective. The warnings could be Google gloating about a successful attack on extensions that clear web pages of ads.
I don't think non-tech people fully understand how big of a power grab Google is making here with Manifest v3.
It's up there with some of the worst monopolistic behavior in the history of the internet. https://t.co/dVFPZDozq8— Not a Data Scientist (@isthisdata) August 2, 2024
Specifically speaking, Chrome is readying to make Manifest V3 mandatory for extensions that want to run on the web browser. However, most of the popular as well as effective ad-blockers rely on the older, but still functional, Manifest V2.
Google has been trying to deploy Manifest V3 in the Chrome browser for quite some time. Manifest V2 has already been deprecated, and it will soon stop working on stable, dev, and Canary versions of the browser. The warnings users see are advising users to switch to newer extensions that comply with Manifest V3.
Will Chrome render older extensions useless?
Google is acutely aware of what happens when businesses threaten ad blockers. YouTube has been fighting an uphill battle with several extensions that strip the platform of ads.
However, the upcoming Manifest V3 essentially takes away the primary defensive shields that make ad blockers effective. Ad blockers largely rely on “filtering lists”, and they store the necessary code on the local device.
Google has essentially banned “remotely hosted code”. Needless to say, this includes the filtering lists that adblockers must update regularly. The search giant now mandates that such lists must be a part of the main app or extension.
As a result, extensions would have to undergo Chrome Web Store’s review process. It is quite likely that Google could make the process excessively cumbersome or convoluted. Apple regularly employs such tactics, which is called gatekeeping. Incidentally, both companies are claiming this process helps to make the platforms more secure and safer for general users.
What this means is that Google is not “killing ad blockers”. However, all the extensions that work on the Chrome web browser will have to be compliant with the Manifest V3.