1y ago

Google to weaken ad blockers on Chrome in a push for security

Starting June 2024, adblockers such as uBlock Origin and many other extensions on Chrome will no longer work as intended. Google Chrome will begin disabling extensions based on an older extension platform, called Manifest V2, as it moves to the more limited V3 version.

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Fortunately, this is mitigated by not using Chrome.
- This is the way
- Chrome’s user-base is so large that sites might start explicitly requiring chrome.
  
  Just like they keep insisting we disable adblockers to view them. Both are easy to circumvent, but mostly my reaction is to just close the tab and look for the content elsewhere.
  
  Implicitly they often do already because web devs have become more and more lazy and don't test any browser but the one they prefer themselves.
  
  There's literally a work around for Google making YouTube videos ~~pose~~ pause for 5 seconds before playing on Firefox due to adblocker use. It's to use the adblocker to trick Google into thinking Firefox is chrome.

"Security", haha yeah right
- The security of their cash flow.
- Literally my reaction when I saw that.
  
  they obviously mean their financial security.
- The security of their profits
- An extension having access to everything on every page you visit is a potential security issue.
  Whether that's an acceptable risk for you in order to have an extension that blocks ads is another question.
  
  Extensions by definition are a security issue. For that matter, so is being connected to the Internet in the case of a browser.
  
  As far as I know, the plan for Manifest V3 only included removing blocking from the WebRequest API and extensions using WebRequest could still see whatever activity they are given permission to view.

My ad blocker is part of my security.
- Not your security, silly. Their security (financial).

A push for ~~security~~ revenue
- Obviously, what else would you expect from these big tech conglomerates?

Hmm, weird. Using an ad-blocker is basic security advice at this point because Google and other ad companies don't vet their advertisers properly, so malware or phishing often makes its way into ads. But yes, believe Google's lies and stop using an ad-blocker for "security reasons". Honestly, these shitty big tech corporations should just go fuck themselves.
- They mean ad revenue security
  
  Yeah that's the only kind of security they care about. Fuck Big Tech! And most importantly, stop using their garbage services.

Some speculate this is an intentional move by Google due to suspected loss of ad-revenue. We don’t know
Oh, we know. It may technically qualify as speculation, but we know.

This reads like "gun makers softens triggers on guns to improve gun safety" or "baby formula makers poison baby food to build up babies' tolerance to poisoned baby food"

The FBI recommends that everyone use an adblocker as part of their basic security toolkit.
If your browser vendor has a problem with that, switch to a different browser.

I was about to comment on this, but my Android phone spontaneously rebooted.
Anyway. Before I was so rudely interrupted, I was about to say: Firefox. It is a thing. An awesome thing.
- By sheer coincidence I am sure, YouTube (a Google subsidiary) just started "accidentally" degrading their performance on Firefox but not Chrome.

It's funny. Seeing this post was the catalyst for me to finally set Firefox as the default browser on my phone and start using it daily. Going to set it up on my work laptop tomorrow too.
- Also stop using Google as your search engine, there are much better options like DuckDuckGo. You can also use Startpage if you like Google search results, it's a meta search engine that pulls everything from Google without exposing you to Google tracking.
  
  "much better"

Totally reads like an Onion headline.
- Yeah, malware is often distributed via ads. They also track+expose information that could be used for spear phishing, identity theft and so on, if it falls into the wrong hands. So, ad blocking is certainly recommended for security.

Ad blockers: 1, Google: 0

Wtf is with the headline. We all know that is untrue - it's about Mr Do-no-evil's bottom line.
- But does the average consumer? Because only like 37% of users worldwide use one.

What a messed up title.
The one and only reason they are doing this is to boost ad revenue.
- That they even mention the word "security" in this is a farce.
  It's still as insecure as ever, since a malicious plugin can simply spy on and report on your usage.
  
  They meant their (financial) security, not ours.

Good thing I handle all that at the router!
- Not same domain ads.
  
  Yeah it doesn't get everything, but it gets the vast majority of stuff and I'm ok with that. I've been working hard at pulling down the videos I want from YouTube and uploading them to my peertube instance so I don't need to use YouTube directly anymore most of the time.

"We wanna weaken ad blockers because ~~we like money~~ of security."

a little tweak of title:
"Google to weaken adblockers on Chrome in a push for ad revenue security."

I will NEVER touch Chrome. If I MUST I will use Chromium once in a long ass while. Otherwise, fuck off your bullshit spying CIA/FBI/etc. website.

Whenever Google or Apple do something that affects your experience in the name of security then.... RUN

Does this make the company look good or bad? Does this hurt or help their brand?
They need to fix google search. Relevant results are the keywords.

Will this affect Chromite?
- Yes. Only browsers not based on chromium won't see any effects from this.
  
  It depends on the browser. Not all chromium browsers are including the change in their versions.
- Chrome and all Chromium based browsers use the Blink engine. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_engine

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