Manifest V3: Web Request Changes

Brass Contributor

So, Google plan to introduce manifest v3 that limit extensions blocking capability by removing webRequest API and replacing it with super limited declarativeNetRequest.

 

Please, please don't remove/change/limit this API. If microsoft truly listen to it's user and many extensions developer complaining this changes.

 

I have good faith microsoft will listen, this is also good opportunity for microsoft, more user for their new chromium based browser.

 

Related discussions:

  1. https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=896897
  2. https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/forum/#!topic/chromium-extensions/veJy9uAwS00
  3. https://github.com/uBlockOrigin/uBlock-issues/issues/338
  4. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20044430
  5. All reddit threads (to many can't list here).

 

 

38 Replies

Has MS released an official response to the ad blocking problems coming to Chromium? I haven't seen anything yet - did I miss it?

 

Any browser that cripples ad blocking extensions are dead to me. I'll stick with Safari on all my devices and Firefox when I need an alternative. It's a bummer because I was looking forward to giving Edge a try in macOS.

@zmni Thanks for posting this. This user is in complete agreement, and it's more than just adverts. If you run uBO in the "medium mode" with dynamic filtering, you prevent cross-site tracking. Other extensions, such a Privacy Badger, also prevent tracking, but they too depend on Manifest V2. 

 

Manifest V2 is about tracking and privacy as much as ad-blocking. I hope that the new Microsoft Edge takes privacy seriously and allows users to stop tracking by the use of extensions that require Manifest V2. 

It's also about security and performance. (my comment was much longer before but I shortened it to this. I'm feeling really sad right now due to personal stuff)
Not an official response from Microsoft, but at least a personal opinion from a Microsoft employee working on the Edge team about this topic: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Discussions/Google-to-restrict-ad-blocking-in-Chromium/m-p/68...

Microsoft Edge Dev Team posted some details about this changes to manifest v3 and the new edge on reddit: 

https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/c094uf/hi_reddit_were_the_team_behind_microsoft_edge_and/er34...

 

as its not a clear statement that they will support manifest v2, they definitely are going to support extensions with the strong ability for blocking ads.

 

i already switched from chrome to new edge chromium.

 

It looks like they won't support manifest v2. They are a part of the Coalition for Better Ads (which includes Google and Facebook). In reply to:
"Are you maintaining a fork of Chromium in order to exclude the stupid changes like Google’s decision to cripple the webRequest API in order to stop people blocking ads?"
they said this:
"We have chosen not to fork since we don’t want to fragment the community, but our infrastructure does allow us to maintain patches for cases where we have a different point of view on individual changes (we talked about the webRequest/Manifest V3 changes in a couple other places. In general we plan to upstream our web platform improvements to the Chromium project. "

Without an adblocker, I have no reason to use Edge. I even left Bing as my search engine and disabled my adblocker for it. I just wish Firefox's performance were better and that Brave were less annoying. Edge has nice scrolling and move to new window. This makes me so mad but mostly sad.
Any news how Microsoft handle API v3?
not that I know of. I guess they won't bother maintaining v2 apis
Microsoft shouldn't let Google have a say in Edge browser or remotely affect the development of Edge browser.
Microsoft should take Manifest V3, use only its good features and remove/ignore the bad ones such as those and limit the ability of adblockers.
obviously Google is against adblockers because their business runs on ads, on YouTube, searches, all around the world wide web.
adblockers such as ublock origin are such a thorn in Google's eyes because they don't let any ads through.
so yeah Microsoft is stepping in the right direction with the introduction of Tracking Prevention feature, they shouldn't stop now and use the parts of Manifest V3 which won't let adblockers work as they should.
otherwise Brave would be a better browser.
but microsoft chose to switch to chromium. they gave control to google who is the main contributor to chromium. they chose the path of little development :(
They de-googled Chromium before integrating it into their Edge browser..
Chromium is already the "de-googled" version of chrome.
microsoft "just" added the microsoft-stuff to chromium and some additonal features.
I doubt microsoft will add much effort into maintaining an api just for ad-blockers, and i doubt google will make it easy for chromium forks to add and maintain apis to bypass the new specifications.
But microsoft could at least increase the limit of rules that plugins can pass into the network-filter api.
The next version of chromium (v80) will contain the first changes from manifest v3, we will see how these changes will reflect into edge chromium.
"The next version of chromium (v80) will contain the first changes from manifest v3, we will see how these changes will reflect into edge chromium."

We can already see the changes in both Google chrome and Microsoft Edge. version 80 has been feature-locked for a long time now, you can see the changes in Microsoft Edge dev which is still on version 80 and Canary which is on version 81.

"microsoft "just" added the microsoft-stuff to chromium and some additonal features."

"Not" really
https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/8/18300772/microsoft-google-services-removed-changed-chromium-edge-b...

"i doubt google will make it easy for chromium forks to add and maintain apis to bypass the new specifications."

Brave, the privacy focused new browser is based on chromium, don't you think manifest V3 with all those flaws would literally end Brave's main feature and usefulness? the ability to block ads?
I dont think manifest v3 will end braves main features. As braves main focus is just this feature they will put effort into maintaining an "usefull" api for blocking ads.
But why should microsoft do? They do sell ads via bing themself.
Microsoft's Tracking prevention set to Strict blocks roughly 80% of the ads.
maybe manifest V3 will affect Edge's Tracking prevention feature too.
also Microsoft can fork Chromium and develop it on their own without Google's interference
this way they will be able to more efficiently handpick features from Chromium and put them in Microsoft's version of Chromium.
I know they de-googled Chromium.

They don't review every commit and add each one. They have a set of patches. An apt Android browser comparison would be Kiwi to Bromite. btw Ungoogled Chromium exists but Microsoft did more than what Ungoogled Chromium has done iirc.
Microsoft did more than what Ungoogled Chromium has done iirc so that means it's good, right?
Microsoft themselves said they weren't forking Chromium in their Reddit AMA.

Also, Brave's native ad blocking doesn't use extensions so they wouldn't be impacted by manifest v3 but they have said that they'll keep the manifest v2 APIs.
I know they aren't forking Chromium right now, but they should do it if they have to in future, instead of letting Google take control.

isn't it possible for Google to prevent extensions and browsers not compatible with manifest V3 from working properly and eventually force them to give in?