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Google Proposes Changes To Chromium Browser That Will Break Content-Blocking Extensions, Including Various Ad Blockers
"Google engineers have proposed changes to the open-source Chromium browser that will break content-blocking extensions, including various ad blockers," reports The Register. "The drafted changes will also limit the capabilities available to extension developers, ostensibly for the sake of speed and safety. Chromium forms the central core of Google Chrome, and, soon, Microsoft Edge." From the report: In a note posted Tuesday to the Chromium bug tracker, Raymond Hill, the developer behind uBlock Origin and uMatrix, said the changes contemplated by the Manifest v3 proposal will ruin his ad and content blocking extensions, and take control of content away from users. Manifest v3 refers to the specification for browser extension manifest files, which enumerate the resources and capabilities available to browser extensions. Google's stated rationale for making the proposed changes is to improve security, privacy and performance, and supposedly to enhance user control.
But one way Google would like to achieve these goals involves replacing the webRequest API with a new one, declarativeNetRequest. The webRequest API allows extensions to intercept network requests, so they can be blocked, modified, or redirected. This can cause delays in web page loading because Chrome has to wait for the extension. In the future, webRequest will only be able to read network requests, not modify them. The declarativeNetRequest allows Chrome (rather than the extension itself) to decide how to handle network requests, thereby removing a possible source of bottlenecks and a potentially useful mechanism for changing browser behavior. The report notes that Adblock Plus "should still be available" since "Google and other internet advertising networks apparently pay Adblock Plus to whitelist their online adverts."
But one way Google would like to achieve these goals involves replacing the webRequest API with a new one, declarativeNetRequest. The webRequest API allows extensions to intercept network requests, so they can be blocked, modified, or redirected. This can cause delays in web page loading because Chrome has to wait for the extension. In the future, webRequest will only be able to read network requests, not modify them. The declarativeNetRequest allows Chrome (rather than the extension itself) to decide how to handle network requests, thereby removing a possible source of bottlenecks and a potentially useful mechanism for changing browser behavior. The report notes that Adblock Plus "should still be available" since "Google and other internet advertising networks apparently pay Adblock Plus to whitelist their online adverts."
If the DOJ (no particular friend of Big Tech in this Administration) wanted an excuse to probe Google with the FTC for some anti-trust discovery, this would be a quick ticket.
The world's dominant browser requiring that the world's dominant ad network always be displayed would be a wonderful reason to force a divestiture of one or the other (or, preferably, split everything up into components).
Hire a Linux system administrator, systems engineer,
Wow, the company that makes 90% of the its profits from advertising is trying to use the open source projects it near controls, that has a near monopoly on web browsers now... to stop adblockers from existing...
It's a coincidence surely. *Hugs Firefox*
Increasing browser speed by forcing you to download slow loading video ads
Cry me a river... We don't need the DOJ doing jackshit as long as Google is still providing the full source code to Chromium. Just make a few tweaks to the source code and boom, ad blocking is back in business. Sure, the change sucks for extensions like uBlock Origin, who will likely lose users as people find new ways of ad blocking, but it's not like the bad old days of closed source Internet Explorer.
Brave Browser is based on Chromium's rendering engine and provides ad blocking built-in, no extensions necessary. It's already here and works pretty darn good.
Back to Privoxy/Promoiyton? Why do you think Google spent 5 years convincing everyone HTTPS was necessary, even for static, low-risk pages?
Your ad here. Ask me how!
Firefox time.
Google is making this change because filtering malicious javascript and advertizing from web pages by the "web client" (ie, the browser) is ruining their business model which is completely and entirely based on the "web client" executing malicious javascript and displaying advertizing contrary to the interest of the owner of the device on which that malicious javascript is running and on which the advertizing is being displayed, at the expense of that owner (who is paying to transport that unwanted malicious javascript and advertizing).
Therefore, Google has two choices: Make is so that people using "Chrome" based crap cannot protect themselves from malicious javascript and advertizing (99% of which is promulgated by Google) or just close up shop and go out of business.
Because they are a bunch of greedy fucks who do not actually have a product any non-sleezebag would want to actually spend money on (and therefore no actual business model other than being a shitbag), the have decided to pursue the former course rather than the latter.
Of course, it also helps that 99.999999% of the people who use their products do not give a shit anyway and are too stupid to only use products which are not inherently malicious.
In other words -- follow the money.
Hey look, another naive Slashdork that still thinks that motto ever had any teeth to it.