Manifest V3, Chrome’s new platform for extensions is finally going into effect. After being announced back in 2019 and facing delays, heavy controversy and pushback, 5 years later users are now beginning to see evidence of the forthcoming API change which will dramatically impact how browser extensions can operate on Google Chrome.
For one, uBlock Origin users on Chrome began receiving a notice last month, warning that the extension would soon no longer be supported on the platform, but they won’t be the only ones impacted. So, what does Manifest V3 mean for Chrome users, especially those with an eye for privacy?
Stanford-educated computer scientist, the CEO of Ghostery, a board member of Brave and the Chief Scientist at Burda.
The short of It
Put bluntly, the past few years have seen ample drama between Google and extension developers as both parties readied for this platform change. The Google team argued that Manifest V3 would improve privacy and performance for extensions, and most developers (us at Ghostery included) both disagreed it would be effective in doing so and felt it had a net negative impact on the privacy of users given its restrictions on ad-blockers.
The new V3 framework has several key differences from the older V2 version that significantly hinder ad-blockers in particular. Without getting overly technical, the changes impact the level of interception ad and tracker-blockers can have over web traffic and requests, like neutralizing requests from data-collecting trackers.
But after a lot of push and pull, all ad-blocker extension developers were forced to decide whether they’d redesign for the new API or not – which is why uBlock Origin users are now receiving a warning message, while users of some other ad-blockers are not.
Your options in the new MV3 reality
Let’s start with a quick summary of which ad-blocking extensions did redesign for MV3 and where others stand:
- Ghostery – recently released Ghostery 10 which is Manifest V3 compliant
- AdBlock Plus – has been updated to be Manifest V3 compliant
- AdGuard – has a Manifest V3 compliant version currently in beta testing
- uBlock Origin – will not support Manifest V3 on its primary extension, but has released a Lite version which will continue to operate on Chrome under V3
But, even if your preferred ad-blocker is listed as being Manifest V3-compliant, that doesn’t mean your privacy won’t still be impacted to some degree if you remain on Chrome.
Ad-blocker developers have spent years redesigning how our extensions operate at a foundational level to be able to function on this new platform. The restrictions are so excessive that it’s safe to say ad-blocking with any extension on V3 will be less effective than before (you can think of pre-Manifest V3 ad-blocker protection being at 100%, and post being around 75%).
As one Reddit user put it and many others echoed, “Google is in the ad business. They are removing ability to block ads. Use another browser, there are plenty of them.”
So, if you’re serious about your privacy and want to maximize your ad-blocking capabilities (and essentially go back to 100% protection), you should switch to another browser before Manifest V3 goes into effect.
But, be aware of what browser you’re switching to, as many others like Opera and Edge are still Chromium-based and therefore will be subject to the same extension restrictions as Chrome.
Firefox is one of few browsers not built on Chromium and where your favorite ad or tracker-blockers will retain full functionality. Some Chromium-based browsers like Brave have also implemented tracker-blocking in the browser and therefore are not affected by Manifest V3 changes and remain good options.
Other reasons to consider moving off Chrome
While we’re discussing browser privacy, I’d be remiss not to mention a few other recent developments shaping the future of privacy on Chrome which you should consider.
Google recently announced that their long-held plans to abandon third party cookies on Chrome have been cancelled. This means that many of the data-collecting trackers that extensions like Ghostery were able to easily block on Manifest V2 and which are now more difficult on V3, will also be allowed to remain on Chrome for the foreseeable future.
Ironically, the decision to abandon these plans wasn’t even Google’s alone. U.K. regulators had anti-trust concerns over the advantageous position Google’s own first-party cookies would enjoy once third-party cookies were phased out.
This brings me to my final point. While Manifest V3 and the abandonment of third-party cookie phaseouts continue to leave your data vulnerable to unknown and often malicious third parties in Chrome, one of the chief reasons you may want to consider switching browsers comes down to the data Google itself is able to collect on you. No matter what technical changes or developments come down the line, that’s one threat that’s certain not to change as long as you remain on Chrome.
We’ve listed the best privacy tools and anonymous browsers.
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