Google Chrome Update Ends Ad Blockers

Google Chrome's next update will mark the end of popular ad blockers. The move to Manifest V3 for extensions is closing its final loophole and, with it, bringing the end of many ad blocker tools. This change will impact users who rely on ad blockers to block ads on websites.

What happened

Google Chrome’s move to Manifest V3 for extensions has been in the works for years. The move has been criticized for breaking most ad blockers due to the new permissions structure and Google’s focus on privacy. A Chromium commit removes support for the "kExtensionManifestV2Disabled" flag, which was referred to as dead code since Chrome no longer supports Manifest V2 extensions. The change is set to roll out across two consecutive Chrome releases, first starting with Chrome 150, which is expected to arrive by the end of June, and will remove the primary technical workaround that power users had kept in their toolkit. Chrome 151, expected by next month, will then remove the remaining flags, including "ExtensionManifestV2Unsupported," "ExtensionManifestV2Availability," and "AllowLegacyMV2Extensions."

Why it matters

The impacts of the change will be felt broadly by users who rely on ad blockers. Ad blockers built on the older standard relied on a feature called "webRequest" that allowed them to intercept and cancel network requests before they loaded. Manifest V3 replaced that with a more limited alternative called "declarativeNetRequest," which gives the browser more control over what extensions can and cannot do.

How to think about it

Users who rely on ad blockers should consider alternative solutions, such as switching browsers or using different ad blockers that are compatible with Manifest V3. Developers should also consider the implications of the change and how it will impact their extensions.

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