Manifest V3, webRequest, and ad blockers
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All I can say is that if uBlock origin stops working with Vivaldi, no matter how much I love the browser, I'm headed over to something else (Likely Firefox). uBlock Origin is a hard stop for me. Everyone knows V3 is a transparent attempt by Google to stop ad blockers.
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Don't be so dramatic, everything you do in uBO can be done in Adguard MV3.
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Everything? That's not true. Even definition updates to it are cumbersome, needing to wait for an update to the extension itself (with limited exceptions).
And if an MV3 extension at parity with uBO was such a slam-dunk, why on earth isn't uBO Lite one? The maker of iBO probably would have been able to swing that. Instead, take a look at it. Good enough for the general user, yes, but not diehards.
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So, you have already decided that on July 1st you will abandon Vivaldi and switch to Firefox or some fork.
It is a good thing to be clear in advance and not to be hesitant. It speaks of a person with clear and firm convictions. Good for you.
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@barbudo2005 The post before me said that, I didn't.
If it so happens that Vivaldi is blocked, and I don't think that could happen on July 1 because of Vivaldi's normal Chromium lag (so it could be a month or two later), then I'll probably just hold on the version that I have at the time while trying to find another solution, because any solution I find is likely to be easier than switching the entire browser. Solutions will be flying fast and furious given the number of people affected (this is way more than just Vivaldi).
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Said:
I'll probably just hold on the version that I have at the time...
1.- You compromise security by not updating Vivaldi.
2.- I don't think you will get anything out of it, since for those who applied the registry policie, uBO will stop working on that date.
3.- Even if it does, a few more months won't make a difference.
Said:
Solutions will be flying fast and furious...
No. The only possible solutions after 1 July:
1.- uBO Lite.
2.- Built-in adblocker, which will hardly have similar features to uBO at that time.
3.- Adguard, the closest thing to uBO that will exist at that time.
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"Websites crash, blame ad blockers: a hidden war in the digital world"
https://adguard.com/en/blog/ad-blockers-website-crash-blame.html
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For those curious what Brave has already done, here it is:
https://brave.com/blog/brave-shields-manifest-v3/#which-mv2-extensions-will-work-in-brave
brave://settings/extensions/v2 shows these four possibilities now:
- NoScript
- uBlock Origin
- uMatrix
- AdGuard
Vivaldi should just copy the idea wholesale, as Vivaldi also doesn't have its own extension store but does have a "robust process for customizing (or âpatchingâ) atop the open-source Chromium engine."
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Said:
Vivaldi should just copy the idea wholesaleâŚ
A real possibility or just a dream?
I'm inclined to the latter. Why?
Very simple:
1.- The âBrave similâ and the âBuilt-inâ projects compete for the same resources and have the same ultimate goal: not to be affected by the problems of MV3. The first one achieves it with a âtrickâ and the second one in a natural way, since the browser is not affected by MV3.
2.- The âBrave similâ project requires resources forever, while the âBuilt-inâ project once it reaches a âsatisfactoryâ stage of features, the successive improvements will require decreasing amount of resources.
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@supercom32 Im in the same boat as you, i love vivaldi in Desktop, but i use Firefox in android because it has extensions and specially ubo, and vivaldi is getting worse everyt patch on android in the last year
Time to move Firefox Desktop or any fork in the next months to use ubo.
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I also use Firefox in Android for Stylus and uBO.
Try Adguard for these months and move âMy filterâ list and âMy rulesâ list to Adguard, and you will see that you will not notice any difference.
Look this posts:
https://forum.vivaldi.net/topic/79579/manifest-v3-webrequest-and-ad-blockers/252
https://forum.vivaldi.net/topic/79579/manifest-v3-webrequest-and-ad-blockers/253
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@barbudo2005 I think it's pretty straightforward. Users who value their freedom of choice will likely switch from Vivaldi to a browser that isn't supporting an ideological war against ad blockers on behalf of Google.
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Adguard is very good on phone and tablet. Just buy it, a perpetual license is inexpensive. And keep using Vivaldi.
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@supercom32 I don't think this situation is so black and white to warrant such strong claims.
With Vivaldi's built-in ad blocker + a DNS-based ad/tracker DNS blocker, I have zero problems with intrusive ads.
Instead of supporting extensions with an unclear future (as the Brave post clearly outlined in mentioned post), I would prefer Vivaldi to further develop its native ad blocker and other features.
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@josiah1822 Iâm glad you found an alternative that works for you, but personally, Iâm not willing to settle for the built-in ad blocker as a compromise. Vivaldi is a great browser, but why should I give up a more powerful, proven, and open-source solution like uBlock Origin when itâs available? The backlash to Manifest V3 wasnât just some passing concernâit was a major signal from the community that Googleâs changes arenât in the best interest of users. This isnât something that just disappears if people choose to accept compromises. What happens when Google pushes for something else that serves their own interests at the expense of users?
The real way to show support or opposition is through our actionsâour dollars, our mindshare, and our choices. If Vivaldi decides not to officially support Manifest V2 or offer a reasonable workaround that keeps projects like uBlock Origin functional, thatâs ok as it's their choice. But Iâll simply move on to Firefox and make sure to let them know they won me over by staying true to user freedom.
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@barbudo2005 I started using adblockplus years ago, then I switched to adguard and finally to ubo, the one that works the way I want at least for me, is ubo, adguard works, but does not match the ubo level, that's why I use ubo, not adguard.
Thanks, but I will not go back to the arguard extension, what I will try is the windows software to see if it works as well as ubo, and if it does I will buy a license and continue using Vivaldi, in case it does not work as I want, I will switch to Firefox definitely, I will opt for Floorp for the workspaces.
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From Adguard blog:
"YouTube debuts a new banner in its war against ad blockers. But what does it actually do?"
Itâs no secret that YouTube has been locked in a cat-and-mouse game with ad blockers. The new tactic that the video-streaming service debuted this month involves displaying an anti-adblock banner, urging users to either allow ads or subscribe to YouTube Premium.
The new banner has been spotted by the users of Opera and Firefox. Itâs not clear if the users of those browsers are being specifically targeted, or all browsers have been affected. Neowin reported that âGoogleâs own Chrome has exhibited sluggish performance for the last couple of daysâ with an ad blocker on, but we have not seen any first-hand accounts yet.
In the banner, Google says that âAd blockers violate YouTubeâs Terms of Serviceâ and explains that the videos will not play for the ad-blocking users unless they allowlist YouTube or turn their ad blocker off completely.
Banner:
It does not take a rocket scientist to guess which is YouTubeâs own preferred option for users. âAllow YouTube adsâ button is highlighted in white, while âTry YouTube Premiumâ blends in with the background color.
New old message
The banner that is being displayed bears an uncanny resemblance to the very first banner that YouTube showed to the users when it first resorted to this tactic. In May 2023, YouTube tested a similar message that read: âAd blockers are not allowed on YouTube.â In some cases, this banner was accompanied by a countdown clock in the right-hand corner in an apparent attempt to make the messaging sound even more urgent.One can argue that the updated wording is supposed to send an even stronger signal â there are studies showing that itâs easier for our brain to understand and act upon affirmative sentences rather than negative ones â so perhaps this is the reason behind the change, or maybe weâre giving Google too much credit and theyâre just tinkering with the wording for no particular reason.
Between the first and the latest anti-adblock banner, which do look very similar, YouTube tried a few other approaches, including warning users that the playback would be disabled after three videos as opposed to immediately unless they turn off their ad blockers.
Beyond the banners
Anti-adblock banners is not the only weapon that has been wielded by Google in the ongoing war. Another strategy that YouTube tried last year is known as server-side ad insertion. It differs from normal YouTube ad intersection in how ads are delivered to users. Normally, ads are delivered separately from the video content, which allows ad blockers to âwork their magic.â With server-side ad insertion, the ad becomes part of the video content itself. This is similar to what YouTube has been doing with its mobile apps.We went into more details into how this method works and what ad blockers can do about it in our previous article.
What does it mean for ad blocking users?
The crackdown on ad blockers on YouTube has been ongoing for three years now. Although YouTube comes up with new tactics every few months, ad blockers have generally been able to keep up. This time is unlikely to be an exception, especially since the new banner doesnât represent anything we havenât seen before.The new banner seems to be part of a limited test. Whatâs interesting, however, is that it has been primarily reported by users of Opera and Firefox browsers, which still support MV2-based ad-blocking extensions. This is unlike Google Chrome, which is in the process of phasing out Manifest V2, the old extensions platform, and replacing it with Manifest V3. Manifest V3 puts restrictions on how ad-blocking extensions operate, and they already forced us to disable some features in our MV3-compliant extension for Chrome to keep it listed in the Chrome Web Store.
Whether the timing is just a coincidence, or Google is indeed targeting users of powerful ad-blocking extensions in browsers other than Chrome, we donât know. But it is certainly something worth noting.
As for what the future holds, we believe the cat-and-mouse game will continue. YouTube and other platforms will likely keep finding new ways to crack down on ad blockers, while developers will continue to adapt and find workarounds.
With that being said, while browser extensions can still be effective, network-wide ad-blocking apps like AdGuard for Windows or AdGuard for Mac are a more robust and versatile solution. These apps work across all browsers and apps, blocking ads at the system level, rather than relying on browser-specific extensions. This makes them less vulnerable to the constant changes and restrictions. However, if you want to stick to your ad-blocking extension, the following tips will come in handy: YouTube: How to use it with an ad blocker."
https://adguard.com/en/blog/youtube-new-banner-adblockers-violate-tos.html
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@barbudo2005, the lack is that you can pay for YT Premium or alternatively pay for AdGuard, which isn't free, only offers an trial free use.
In any case I'm going to continue with the Vivaldi Trackerblocker + uBOL, that for the moment works fine. Besides I'm going to keep looking for other alternatives.
