![]() The Ghostery extension is an excellent example of a product that would be especially affected by Google’s changes. “While Google is pushing a ‘privacy by design’ message on the surface, it’s still asserting a monopoly over the entire ecosystem by stifling digital privacy companies that are already working to give users back control of their data,” Schmetz told The Verge by email. Jean-Paul Schmetz, CEO of the privacy-focused browser extension Ghostery, took precise aim at Google’s imposition of the MV3 standard in light of the company’s recent statements on defending privacy: (In its SEC filings, Google consistently cites “new and existing technologies that block ads online” as a risk factor that could affect revenue.)īut the makers of some ad blocking and privacy-protecting extensions have said the change will disable the effectiveness of their products. Still, critics see it as a calculated effort to limit the impact of ad blocking on a company that is almost completely funded by ads. Google has introduced the modifications as a benefit to privacy, security, and performance. Others, however, may be more severely affected. It won’t be a problem for some extensions: Adblock Plus, one of the most famous ad blockers, has come out in favor of the MV3 changes - though it’s worth noting that the extension has a financial relationship with Google. Instead of monitoring all data in a network request, the new API forces extension makers to specify rules in advance about how certain types of traffic should be handled, with the extension able to perform a more narrow set of actions when a rule is triggered. The blocking version of the Web Request API has been removed and replaced with an API called Declarative Net Requestunder the latest specification. But the same feature can be used cruelly to hijack users’ login credentials or insert extra ads into web pages, which has been Google’s settings for changing how it functions in Manifest V3. They block domains that will load ads and stop information from being sent from the browser to any of the thousands of tracking domains that collect data on internet users. For example, ad-blocking extensions use the feature to block incoming and outgoing traffic between specific domains and a user’s browser. The Web Request feature is powerful and flexible and can be used for good and bad intentions. The example Google offers for developers shows an extension script that would block the browser from sending traffic to “” Under the currently active specification - Manifest V2 - browser extensions can use an API feature called Web Request to observe traffic between the browser and a website and modify or block requests to specific domains. It represents the approvals, capabilities, and system resources that any extension can use. The modifications in Manifest V3 are part of a planned overhaul to the specification for Chrome’s browser extension manifest file. For Google, though, sticking with MV3 will hugely affect the overall role of ad blocking on the current web. So, Firefox has a far smaller share of the desktop marketplace than Chrome it could be a possibility for Mozilla’s product to define itself. ![]() Privacy advocates have roundly criticized Google’s strategy - the Electronic Frontier Foundation has been a vocal opposition - but the search company hasn’t been convinced. But, now Mozilla made clear that Firefox will maintain support for Web Request, keeping the door open for the most sophisticated forms of ad blocking. Google has long had security concerns about Web Request and has worked to cut it out of the most recent extension standard, called Manifest V3, or MV3 for short. It is mainly used in ad blockers and essential for any system that looks to block off a domain wholesale. The rupture centers on a feature called Web Request. There is a growing division over how much room browsers should leave for ad blocking - and Firefox and Chrome have ended up on opposite sides of the fight. Now Mozilla will let extensions use the most privacy-preserving blocking techniques on network traffic. ![]() About Us Our Process Quality Testimonials
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