Manifest V3, webRequest, and ad blockers

Pathduck

@Granite1 Yes it would be "nice to have" if Vivaldi's tracker blocker could remove such tracking url parameters. However, I wouldn't bet this happening in the foreseeable future. Not even sure it would be possible in Vivaldi. Best you can do is use an extension, I'm sure there are or will be Mv3 extensions that can do that.

Looks like this url is from clicking a RSS link. RSS feeds and emails often contain such parameters. It's just so the site knows where the traffic is coming from.

From what I can tell there's no unique identifiable parameters in the url anyway, so I wouldn't care in any case.

Granite1

@DoctorG said in Manifest V3, webRequest, and ad blockers:

Removing some known tracking parameters would be a nice to have.

I agree

Granite1

@Pathduck said:

Looks like this url is from clicking a RSS link.

Correct.

@Pathduck said:

so I wouldn't care in any case

Good point. There are, however, sites that put more in their trackers.

@Pathduck said:

I wouldn't bet this happening in the foreseeable future.

I don't. I filed an FR and got so much blowback that I asked for the FR to be archived, which was done.

When I saw this blogpost I thought it was a nice opportunity to ask the team directly. Unfortunately, Julian Picalausa has not replied, you, DoctorG and Catweazle have, and the message is clear: forget it !

So, I won't raise this issue anymore, and stick with my extensions Adguard and ClearURLs, the latter while MV2 still works.

Thanks for your feedback.

Pathduck

@Granite1 said in Manifest V3, webRequest, and ad blockers:

and the message is clear: forget it !

Well, that's the undiplomatic way of putting it.
I would rather say "Don't cross your fingers"

There's also already a feature request:
https://forum.vivaldi.net/topic/77256/always-strip-urls-of-tracking-parameters

Granite1

@Pathduck said:

Well, that's the undiplomatic way of putting it.

Absolutely true, I am a fan of calling a spade a spade

Thank you for pointing me to the FR, which dates back to 2022, or even 2020.

It seems to me it is very low on the devs' priority list.

barbudo2005

@Granite1

Granite1

@barbudo2005 Thank you. Like I said, I am using Adguard so I have that filter enabled. I am also using ClearURLs, and between the 2 of them my URLs never have any suffixed trackers.

So, I gather you use Adguard too?

barbudo2005

@Granite1
I use uBO in Vivaldi. but I am testing Adguard for June 2025.

Granite1

@barbudo2005 said:

I use uBO in Vivaldi

I used uBO for many years until I discovered Adguard, which I find more convenient as it is a "set it and forget it" type of extension.

@barbudo2005 said:

but I am testing Adguard for June 2025.

June 2025: wow, that's 9 months into the future.

Ayespy

@Granite1 said in Manifest V3, webRequest, and ad blockers:

June 2025: wow, that's 9 months into the future.

That's the date Manifest V2 becomes invalid in Chromium et al.

greybeard

@julien_picalausa
As one of the Team you have a job there and priorities within that job function, I can see Sync being a priority. With a team as small as yours it must be difficult to balance differing demands from the userbase.
Keeping Sync working, in my opinion, is the best way to keep Vivaldi stable from version to version.
When time and resources are available work on the ad blocker (Personally I am mare concerned about Trackers...) but for now trustworthy third party apps must do.
Keep up the good work.

barbudo2005

@greybeard

I wonder:

Are they working on improving the adblocker and giving it the importance it deserves?

The addition of the Dashboard toy would be telling me otherwise.

greybeard

@barbudo2005
I would assume so, but clearly not being part of the development team, I could be making an ass of myself by saying that.
Vivaldi has always kept development strategies close to their chest, so to speak, so we really can't be sure what takes priority at a given time.
That is their prerogative and having followed the development of V since the Alpha stage I would agree with that.

Ayespy

@barbudo2005 At any given time, it's likely that fewer than half the team is working on any given feature. All of the other developers are likely to be doing something else. In other words, Vivaldi can walk and chew gum at the same time. Pointing out that they are walking does not imply that they are not chewing gum. As nearly as I can tell, four developers and one designer are working on different aspects of Dashboard - and none of these are a developer who is qualified to work on privacy features.

DoctorG

On some Installations Google turns off some extensions now https://x.com/cpojer/status/1845774326324432935

Catweazle

@DoctorG, also on existing installations, if Google delete the extensions from the Chrome Store they also disappear in the Browser.
As said, I don't trust not longer the extensions from the Store because of this, at least not in the vital ones for security and privacy, because they can disappear from one moment to another when Google want it so.

barbudo2005

@Ayespy

Thank you for the clarification.

And may we know how many are working on "privacy features"?

Ayespy

@barbudo2005 I'm only aware of two developers who are qualified. I don't know who is doing what.

barbudo2005

@Ayespy

Thank you again.

There's nothing like having a ‘spy’ to tell you little tidbits.

barbudo2005

From Adguard blog:

"Most people will choose ad blocker over paying websites for ad-free experience"

"In a world where ads seem to pop up everywhere online, users are increasingly asking themselves what they can do to make them go away. One of the options is to pay a website for an ad-free experience (for instance, YouTube or Netflix offer such options), the other option is to endure ads, and yet another one is to arm yourself with an ad blocker, either an extension or an app. The latter will not only block ads in one browser, but on all the websites where the ad blocker’s filtering rules apply."

https://adguard.com/en/blog/ad-blocker-paying-free-access.html