Adblock Plus and (a little) more
Adblock Plus and the Change to Manifest V3 · 2024-02-12 17:00 by Adblock Plus
Update as of 2/12/2024: We wanted to take a moment to update our users on the coming of Manifest V3. We’ve been working hard to evolve the Adblock Plus extension so that users can enjoy a seamless ad blocking experience once Google changes their browser extension platform.
The Manifest V3 version of Adblock Plus will be available this Spring (before June 2024, as that is the time Google advises extension developers to complete the migration by). The below post has been updated to reflect the most recent information about the migration. Read on for more information about what this change means for you!
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Our mission is to block all ads, pop-ups, and distractions so you can focus on a stress-free internet experience. We spend thousands of hours each year ensuring that Adblock Plus works in the web browsers our users rely on: specifically Google Chrome, Apple’s Safari browser, Microsoft’s Edge browser, and Mozilla’s Firefox browser.
Usually this work happens behind the scenes, with little fanfare. Occasionally, however, we need to make substantial changes to ensure Adblock Plus keeps up with the browser ecosystem. We’re on the cusp of one such change, which is the result of changes Google is making to how browser extensions work in Chrome. Called Manifest V3, the name refers to a new version of Google’s browser extension platform. This evolution of the browser ecosystem will change how all browser extensions work, and bring some challenges along with it.
According to Google, Manifest V3 will introduce stricter permissions and restrictions meant to keep users safe from past security vulnerabilities and invasive data collection. The intention is to make it harder for malicious browser extensions to hurt internet users since malicious activity will be easier to detect. To accomplish this, Google is changing the way communication is managed between extensions and web pages. This has the potential to impact users of any type of extension as it places more limitations on the extensions themselves. That’s why we’ve been working diligently to adapt to these changes.
Our goal is to navigate all of these changes so that you never notice a difference in the high-quality ad blocking you’ve come to expect from us. Some eagle-eyed users may notice a few changes, and we wanted to take this opportunity to highlight a bit of the unglamorous—but vitally important—work our team is doing behind the scenes to ensure Adblock Plus works seamlessly for you now and in the future.
What Does This Mean for You?
While the specific rollout plan for Manifest V3 is still being finalized, we know that starting in 2024 all browser extensions will need to be updated to meet new browser requirements. Our goal is to make this process completely seamless for you, you may notice some changes going forward. We’ve highlighted these changes below:
Filter List Availability
Adblock Plus, like all ad blockers, relies on predefined rules to know what to block and hide on the web pages you visit. These rules are collected into lists, also called, “filter lists.”
When you think of filter lists, it helps to think of a coffee filter. Coffee filters trap coffee grounds while letting the liquid coffee flow through. Ad blocking filter lists do the same thing, only they let the content you want to see flow through to your browser while keeping annoying ads away.
With Manifest V3, Adblock Plus is required to limit how many filter lists we have available to users. We’ll have the ability to offer up to 100 pre-installed filter lists that you can turn on and off depending on your preferences. From these available filter lists, users will be able to choose 50 that they can keep turned on at any given time.
We’re working to ensure that popular filter lists our users love are supported by us, and that any updates to these lists are brought to you by frequent new releases of the extension. This does mean that initially, our users will no longer be able to subscribe to any filter lists outside of what is provided in the extension. We will work to preserve the custom filter list data of those who are currently using third-party filter lists and reinstate their settings once support for these lists is available again.
A Change to How We Address Ad Circumvention
Currently, our filter lists are updated automatically—often multiple times a day. So if you see an ad that has managed to get around the ad blocking filter, it’s typically taken care of right away because of these updates. Manifest V3 has made it so that we’ll no longer be able to do these types of updates in the same way.
Thankfully, our developers created a solution called “differential filter list updates.” This feature allows them to ensure that filter lists are still kept up-to-date in between official releases. Users likely won’t notice a difference in ad blocking quality.
When Should You Expect to See Changes?
Keep an eye out for news from us, as we’ll let you know when the official release for the Manifest V3 version of the Adblock Plus extension happens. We’ll make sure to announce it on this blog and our social media channels.
Of course, we’ll always be working to iterate and improve Adblock Plus, and we remain dedicated to providing everyone with a distraction-free and worry-free internet experience. We plan on bringing even more value to our products this year!
We’ll also continue to advocate for improvement to the Manifest V3 platform for our users and the extension community as a whole. In the meantime, if you have any questions for our team, feel free to reach out to us at support@adblockplus.org.
Comment [4]
Commenting is closed for this article.
Spiff · 2022-11-18 13:38 · #
Will this change only apply to Adblock Plus for Chromium based browsers, or to Adblock Plus for Firefox as well?
Spiff · 2022-11-23 20:23 · #
Was I silly that I thought I’d get a response to my November 18 question?
Let me guess: the change will not only apply to Adblock Plus for Chromium based browsers, but to Adblock Plus for Firefox as well. I’m not going to wait for that. I switched to uBlock Origin. So long and thanks for all the fish.
Reply from Stephanie Holliday:
Hi Spiff,
Sorry for the delayed response! These changes for Manifest V3 only apply to Chromium based browsers. They won’t impact Adblock Plus for Firefox. If you’re ever in need of a quick response, feel welcome to send questions or concerns to our support team at support@adblockplus.org.
Spiff · 2022-12-01 22:33 · #
Hi Stephanie,
Thank you for your reply.
Good to know the mentioned changes only apply to Chromium based browsers and won’t impact Adblock Plus for Firefox.
As the article did not distinguish between Chromium based browsers and Firefox, I hope you understand that gave me the impression the change would apply to both. Good that you straightened that up, thanks again.
Leandro Martins de Lima · 2022-12-08 17:20 · #
Question: I use frequently the Block Element function to get rid of not only ads but other annoying elements in some pages. Will this function still be available in the next version? Will its behaviour change because of the Manifest V3?
Reply from Stephanie Holliday:
Hi Leandro,
The Block element feature will continue to exist even after the Manifest V3 version of Adblock Plus officially launches. Manifest V3 does require us to adhere to limits with filter lists and user created blocking rules, so there’s a chance things may change in the future. However, we don’t have details quite yet! If you have any more questions about this or anything else, our support team are the best people to ask at support@adblockplus.org.