Google started to automatically disable uBlock Origin in Chrome browser

According to the screenshot, published According to uBlock Origin developer Raymond Gill, Google Chrome has already begun phasing out the blocker.

This change is due to Google Chrome’s transition to Manifest V3What is Manifest? Manifest tells the browser various information about the extension, from its name and version number to the permissions it will use and in which versions of the browser it will work. New versions of the format change the features that extensions have access to. For example, Chrome's Manifest V3 no longer allows a developer to download code from a remote server. — a new extension specification that may affect the effectiveness of some ad blockers.

In response, uBlock Origin launched uBlock Origin Lite, which uses Manifest V3. However, the extension will have to be installed manually, as it is «too different from uBO to be an automatic replacement for» (according to Gill’s FAQ, published on GitHub).

At the same time, uBlock Origin Lite has limited filtering capabilities, as the Manifest V3 specification imposes restrictions on the Declarative Net Request API used by ad blocking extensions.

Google spokesperson Scott Westover said in a comment The Verge said that more than 93% «of actively supported» extensions in the Chrome web store are currently using Manifest V3.

As Google plans a full release of Manifest V3 in early 2025, the company said it will start phasing out Manifest V2 extensions this year before removing them completely.

uBlock Origin Lite ad blocker has been removed from the Firefox store — now the extension is only available on GitHub