Lemmy: Bestiverse
  • Communities
  • Create Post
  • Create Community
  • heart
    Support Lemmy
  • search
    Search
  • Login
  • Sign Up
RSS BotMB to Lobste.rsEnglish · 2 months ago

The Impact of Google's Manifest Version 3 Update on Ad Blocker Effectiveness

arxiv.org

external-link
message-square
0
link
fedilink
8
external-link

The Impact of Google's Manifest Version 3 Update on Ad Blocker Effectiveness

arxiv.org

RSS BotMB to Lobste.rsEnglish · 2 months ago
message-square
0
link
fedilink
Privacy vs. Profit: The Impact of Google's Manifest Version 3 (MV3) Update on Ad Blocker Effectiveness
arxiv.org
external-link
Google's recent update to the manifest file for Chrome browser extensions, transitioning from manifest version 2 (MV2) to manifest version 3 (MV3), has raised concerns among users and ad blocker providers, who worry that the new restrictions, notably the shift from the powerful WebRequest API to the more restrictive DeclarativeNetRequest API, might reduce ad blocker effectiveness. Because ad blockers play a vital role for millions of users seeking a more private and ad-free browsing experience, this study empirically investigates how the MV3 update affects their ability to block ads and trackers. Through a browser-based experiment conducted across multiple samples of ad-supported websites, we compare the MV3 to MV2 instances of four widely used ad blockers. Our results reveal no statistically significant reduction in ad-blocking or anti-tracking effectiveness for MV3 ad blockers compared to their MV2 counterparts, and in some cases, MV3 instances even exhibit slight improvements in blocking trackers. These findings are reassuring for users, indicating that the MV3 instances of popular ad blockers continue to provide effective protection against intrusive ads and privacy-infringing trackers. While some uncertainties remain, ad blocker providers appear to have successfully navigated the MV3 update, finding solutions that maintain the core functionality of their extensions.

Comments

alert-triangle
You must log in or # to comment.

Lobste.rs

lobsters

Subscribe from Remote Instance

You are not logged in. However you can subscribe from another Fediverse account, for example Lemmy or Mastodon. To do this, paste the following into the search field of your instance: !lobsters@lemmy.bestiver.se
lock
Community locked: only moderators can create posts. You can still comment on posts.

RSS Feed of lobste.rs

Source of the RSS Bot

Visibility: Public
globe

This community can be federated to other instances and be posted/commented in by their users.

  • 83 users / day
  • 137 users / week
  • 385 users / month
  • 1.66K users / 6 months
  • 2 local subscribers
  • 396 subscribers
  • 15.6K Posts
  • 1.07K Comments
  • Modlog
  • mods:
  • patrick
  • RSS Bot
  • BE: 0.19.15
  • Modlog
  • Instances
  • Docs
  • Code
  • join-lemmy.org