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Big changes for Google Chrome have been in the pipeline since 2019.
These changes have a significant impact on the capabilities of ad blocker extensions.
Adblockers have implemented workarounds, but these make them less effective at blocking ads.
The end is nigh for advanced ad blockers in Google Chrome. Under-the-hood changes in the browser will have a significant impact on security and the level of control end users have over the web content displayed to them. Google says one of those changes -- related to the mechanism that controls which powers extensions have over web pages loaded into the browser -- will improve privacy, security, and performance.
Also: Half of all cyberattacks start in your browser: 10 essential tips for staying safe
Google, which generates over 70% of its revenue from advertising (over $260 billion in 2025), is making changes to the Manifest API system, a part of the browser that controls how extensions interact with the web page being loaded. The current system, Manifest V2, is being replaced by Manifest V3, and this update limits the number of filtering rules that an extension can apply and completely removes the ability to dynamically block content.
Among the biggest casualties of this change are ad-block extensions such as uBlock Origin and AdBlock.
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