The latest extension platform for Google Chrome is none other than Manifest v3. In the company’s words, it provides “the browser information about the extension, such as the most important files and the capabilities the extension might use.” Essentially, it governs Chrome extensions.
This was extremely controversial during the initial 2018 announcement as Google planned to remove the WebRequest API, which allows the management of extension data passing through web browsers. In layman’s terms, the API is necessary for all Adblockers to function.
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In the new Manifest v3, Google has now completely eschewed this API in favor of a lite version known as Declarative Net Request. This news is making headlines across the Internet because the old Manifest v2 will be phased out in favor of Manifest v3.
Starting January 2023, developers will no longer be able to update any of their extensions running MV2 as they will stop running in Chrome. Despite what it may seem, the purpose of Manifest v3 is to make extensions perform better, be more secure, and respect privacy by default.
Fortunately, developers are already working to circumvent the issues, and many examples of new AdBlock extensions are solving this problem.