Over the past few months, Google has had a lot of problems related to changes in its web browser "Chrome," and especially with the "Manifesto," since the announcement of the change to version 3, the current version 2 will not be supported (until June 2023), which will force extension developers to adapt to Manifest V3.
During all this time the team behind Chrome talks about strengthening security, performance but also user privacy. However, according to the publishers, Manifest V3 prevents ad blockers from doing their part in the browser.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a digital rights advocate, protested against its use:
"Chrome users beware*: Manifest V3 is deceptive and threatening." “According to Google, Manifest V3 will improve privacy, security and performance. We absolutely disagree. These changes won't stop malicious extensions, but they will slow innovation, reduce extension capabilities, and hurt real-world performance."
It should be noted that Mozilla Firefox has also decided to adopt Manifest V3, but with a different approach than Chrome, as the reduction in the number of rules has drawn the ire of extension publishers such as ad blocker uBlock Origin and adblocker. Ghostery trackers. They said the policy limits would prevent their extensions from executing their full action lists to filter ads or block tracking. This could allow websites to bypass extensions and the preferences of the people who installed them.
Google has defended its technology, arguing that giving extensions too much freedom invites abuse. The company claims to have listened to the developers and modified Manifest v3 in response. For example, Google has relaxed the initially proposed rules limit and added a new mechanism to enforce certain rules. Eyeo, the developer of one of the widely used Adblock Plus extensions, said he was happy with Google's Manifest V3 approach.
The change brought about by Manifest V3 will spread to all browsers, at the expense of ad-blocking software, said Andrey Meshkov, co-founder and CTO of AdGuard, an ad-blocking extension.
"The main casualty of Manifest V3 is innovation," Meshkov said in a statement. Previously, ad blocker developers were exploring ideas like using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to improve their products. "It's not that relevant anymore. Now Chrome, Safari and Edge dictate what can or cannot be blocked and how it should be done.
Among the changes accompanying Manifest V3, Google mentions the removal of the Web Request API, which is being replaced by a new interface called Declarative Network Request. This introduces a radical change: the inability of an extension to monitor all traffic. For security reasons, the new API requires extension designers to declare in advance how certain types of traffic will be handled.
Of course, this shift from Web Request to Declarative Net Request will bring a significant improvement in security, as extensions will have limited rights over what is transmitted between the browser and the website. Other important changes include the inability to access remote code , again for security reasons, and the replacement of persistent "background pages" with worker services, resulting in significant performance improvements.
Many extension behaviors tied to Manifest V2 will be optional for V3, with one big benefit: tighter control by validation locks, and especially by the user, who will be able to prohibit certain behaviors.
But in the face of this, the EFF raises its voice:
Manifest V3, or Mv3 for short, is downright detrimental to privacy efforts. This will limit the capabilities of web extensions, especially those designed to monitor, modify, and calculate along with your browser's conversation with the websites you visit. Under the new specifications, extensions like these, like some privacy tracking blockers, will have significantly reduced capabilities. Google's efforts to limit this access are concerning, especially since Google has installed trackers on 75% of the top XNUMX million websites…
However, Mozilla warns that while Manifest V3 will be fully supported, the Web Request API will be retained. The direction that the team will take will therefore be hybrid, both with the possibility of bringing back the new generation of extensions, and preserving Web Request and the capabilities that go with it.