2022 could be the last year that your ad blocker works. In January 2023, Google will require all Chrome extensions to follow Manifest V3. This is a new set of rules that change what extensions can do. It mainly addresses how extensions can request and change data on a webpage. Many are worried that it could adversely affect ad blockers.
Manifest V3 could make it easier for marketers to get ahead in the ads vs ad blockers arms race. Raymond Hill, the developer of one of the most popular ad blockers, uBlock Origin, explained his concerns in July of this year. On a GitHub Issues post for uBlock Origin, he explained that Manifest V3 would prevent users from modifying their own filter lists. Instead, they would need to use what the extension has written. This means that if a marketer found a way around the current filter list, the entire extension would need to be republished in order to block the ad again. This significantly slows the response time that ad blockers have in their digital arms race.
Today, users can create their own filter lists and tailor their online experience. If Manifest V3 is applied how it is currently written, it would take this control away from the user. This concerns those who have lived by ad blockers like uBlock Origin and AdBlock. To them, Manifest V3 seems outright anti-consumer.
Google isn’t unaware of this reception. In a Chromium blog post, they claim that the weakening of ad blockers “is absolutely not the goal. In fact, this change is meant to give developers a way to create safer and more performant ad blockers.” In that same post, they argued that Manifest V3 would protect users from extensions that harvest data.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation fought back against the claim that Manifest V3 is to protect user data.
“As both security experts and the developers of extensions that will be greatly harmed by Manifest V3, we’re here to tell you: Google’s statement just isn’t true. Manifest V3 is a blunt instrument that will do little to improve security while severely limiting future innovation.”
The EFF further stated that “extensions that are designed to run on every website will still be able to access and leak data.” Their concern is that control will be taken away from the user and extension developers, while also doing nothing to combat data harvesting applications. Going further, they demand that Google enforces the existing policies for Chrome extensions instead of trying to change how things work.
Manifest V3 is approaching fast. And many users might be caught off guard if their extensions stop working. To some, an internet without ads always seemed too good to be true. Pages load faster, data is protected, and content isn’t hidden in a sea of clutter. However, it comes at the cost of marketers and the sites they display on.
For instance, ad blockers can skew the numbers on a company's SEO (Search Engine Optimization) campaign. When an ad blocker user blocks Google Analytics, they obscure the information that web marketers depend on. Information like how a user found the website, how long they spent on a particular page, what links are they clicking on -- all of it can be blocked.
Another, more immediate issue, is that some sites and content creators depend on ad revenue. By blocking ads, users might be inadvertently harming the sites they love and the content creators they want to support.
According to Hootsuite’s “The Global State of Digital 2021” report, 42.7% of internet users worldwide are using ad blockers. And it’s expected to continue growing. If marketers and websites depend on ad revenue, they will surely continue trying to find a way around ad blockers. As more users continue to block ads, the digital marketing landscape demands change.
Will they find that change in Manifest V3? It could be the beginning of the end for the uncluttered, ad-free online life. 2023 could either be the year that people find another way around ads on Chrome, or it could be the year that many finally decide to switch to another browser entirely.
