For several months now, Google Chrome has been progressively deactivating uBlock Origin, one of the most popular ad blockers. The removal of uBlock Origin is the result of Google’s transition to Manifest V3, a new standard that profoundly alters the way extensions work. In concrete terms, this change considerably reduces the capabilities of ad blockers, rendering uBlock Origin inoperative or much less effective. As a result, many users have seen their extensions deactivated or restricted, with no way of going back.
Manifest V3 is presented by Google as an evolution designed to improve user security and privacy by preventing certain extensions from accessing too much information on web pages. However, this update also prevents ad blockers from acting in real time on the content displayed, thus boosting advertising revenues for Google and creators. This transition impacts uBlock Origin as well as other similar extensions, forcing users to look for alternatives, or to switch browsers for those who are against advertising.
What is Manifest V3?
Manifest V3 is the new standard imposed by Google for managing extensions on Chrome, gradually replacing the old standard, Manifest V2. It defines the permissions and functionalities that extensions can use, profoundly modifying the way they operate. One of the major changes concerns the way extensions interact with web pages and filter content, directly impacting ad blockers like uBlock Origin.
Officially, Google presents Manifest V3 as an improvement in terms of security, performance and privacy. One of the objectives is to limit the risks associated with malicious extensions that can spy on users’ browsing or inject harmful code. By restricting certain permissions and forcing extensions to use a more controlled approach, Google claims to want to offer a more secure and faster environment, while also reducing the load on the browser.
However, these changes impose drastic restrictions on ad blockers, notably by removing access to APIs that intercept and filter requests before they are loaded. This limitation prevents extensions from effectively applying their blocking lists and reduces their ability to remove ads or trackers in real time. As a result, uBlock Origin and other blockers become less effective, or even unusable, prompting users to explore alternatives such as Firefox, Brave or solutions based on DNS filtering.
A loss of earnings for Google and advertising agencies
Google, which derives most of its revenue from online advertising, finds itself in a direct conflict of interest with ad blockers. Chrome, as the dominant browser, plays a key role in the delivery of advertisements, and any solution that reduces the display of these ads threatens Google’s revenues. By imposing Manifest V3, Google is limiting the effectiveness of blockers like uBlock Origin, while preserving more permissive alternatives like Adblock Plus, which operates on an “acceptable ads” model and allows certain advertisers to pay to bypass blocking.
Unlike uBlock Origin, which applies strict, uncompromising blocking, other extensions such as Ghostery or Adblock Plus use more flexible but less effective approaches against invasive ads. Ghostery, for example, focuses more on protection against data tracking than on pure ad blocking. This difference in approach explains why Google particularly targets uBlock Origin, which completely prevents ads from being displayed without exception, thus directly reducing the firm’s revenues.
Faced with these restrictions, the developer of uBlock Origin launched uBlock Origin Lite, a version adapted to Manifest V3. However, this version is much less powerful, as it can no longer filter ads in real time as effectively. It relies on a more limited system imposed by Chrome and considerably reduces its capabilities compared to the original. As a result, many users are considering leaving Chrome in favor of browsers like Firefox or Brave, which still offer full, unrestricted ad blocking.
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