Google reveals the next step in its war on ad blockers: slower extension updates

<< In what's become a cat-and-mouse game between YouTube and ad blocker developers, Google appears to be making its boldest attack yet. A new policy featured in the Manifest V3 extension platform could destroy ad blockers on YouTube for good, at least on Chrome.

To dissuade users from using ad blockers on YouTube, Google began by pausing videos with a nag to turn off ad blocking. Then, it added an intentional delay when loading videos if a blocker was detected. It was somewhat effective, as developers reported a sharp increase in uninstalls. Now, Google is taking its war directly to those designing Chrome extensions.

Google's Manifest V2 extension platform allows developers to update their extensions very quickly. However, when Manifest V3 becomes mandatory in June 2024, there will be new restrictions that could drastically slow down the rate at which developers can update extensions.

Future extension updates must pass a complete review process before getting approved and sent to users. Ad blockers rely on swift updates to counter updates to YouTube's ad delivery system. The new review process should slow the rollout of updates, giving YouTube time to adjust its algorithms to make ad-blocking attempts less effective. >>

https://www.techspot.com/news/101039-google-reveals-next-step-war-adblockers-slower-extension.html

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