Subj : Chromes ad-blocking plan could be a privacy disaster  and a reaso
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Wed Nov 22 2023 12:15:05

Chromes ad-blocking plan could be a privacy disaster  and a reason to switch 
to Firefox

Date:
Wed, 22 Nov 2023 12:13:55 +0000

Description:
Googles move to stamp out ad blockers is bad for privacy, but a great chance 
to change browsers.

FULL STORY
======================================================================

Google might be a search company, but its also an advertising company, and 
nowhere is that clearer than with its efforts to crush ad blockers in its 
Chrome web browser. The latest twist in this saga has seen Google announce 
that it is resuming its plan to severely restrict ad blockers, leaving users 
and privacy advocates in uproar. 

In a post on the companys blog , Google explained that, beginning in June 
2024, it will restart its plans to deprecate the Manifest V2 format that 
current Chrome extensions use and replace it with the more restrictive 
Manifest V3. According to the post, a range of new features have been added 
to Manifest V3 that have  according to Google  met with approval from the 
developer community. 

One of the changes is that Google has increased the upper limit on how many 
rules that extensions can have in place from 5,000 to 30,000, a number Google 
calls generous. That might sound like a lot, but its still far below what any 
decent ad blocker needs to run. 

The popular extension uBlock Origin, for example, needs around 300,000 rules 
in order to work properly  ten times the Manifest V3 limit  and thats before 
you add in any custom rules. 

If Manifest V3 continues as is, it means ad blockers will essentially be 
crippled. That would be terrible news for users, not just because ads can be 
annoying, but because they can also be highly dangerous spreaders of malware  
something Google doesnt seem to be able to stop. Yet one thing the death of 
ad blockers wont be bad for is Googles advertising business. What a 
coincidence! Time to switch? (Image credit: Mozilla) 

Google has defended its plans by saying Manifest V3 restricts extensions in 
order to preserve user privacy and provide a more lightweight browsing 
experience. Yet both claims have been met with scorn from some industry 
experts. 

For instance, Firefoxs Add-On Operations Manager pointed out that malicious 
add-ons can still steal user data in Manifest V3 using the webRequest API, 
which Googles latest extension changes will not block. Privacy advocates at 
the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), meanwhile, have called Googles 
Manifest V3 strategy deceitful and threatening, arguing that it is outright 
harmful to privacy efforts. 

None of this should be particularly surprising since Google has a very 
obvious conflict of interest: blocking ads is simply bad for business. 
Concerns over user privacy and security will, many have argued, always take a 
back seat when there is money to be made. 

If youre worried about this, it might be time to think about switching to a 
different browser. A great alternative is Firefox  our pick for the best web 
browser  because it blends fantastic privacy protections with incredible 
flexibility and cross-platform support. 

There are plenty of other browsers that look out for your privacy, like 
Brave, DuckDuckGo and Apples Safari too, so youre not short of secure 
alternatives to Chromes data-grabbing practices. You might also like Best web 
browser of 2023 Best secure browser of 2023 Best ad blockers of 2023



======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/computing/chrome/chromes-ad-blocking-plan-could-be-a
-privacy-disaster-and-a-reason-to-switch-to-firefox


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