Microsoft released updates to the Edge browser extension system yesterday.
Known as “Manifest V3,” these are the changes announced since October 2018 by Google for the open-source Chromium browser engine, specifically to the WebExtensions API.
The changes update how browser extensions interact with Chromium-based browsers, such as Chrome, Brave, Opera, Vivaldi, and, starting this year, Microsoft Edge.
At the time the changes were announced in 2018, Google stated that the main intention was to improve extension security, make extensions more efficient, and give users more control over what extensions do and which websites they interact with.
However, the extension developers also pointed out that the “Manifest V3” updates contained changes that broke the ability of ad blockers, antivirus, parental controls , and various privacy-enhancing extensions to work.
The announcement sparked a huge backlash from users, extension developers, and even browser makers. Users, in particular, saw the move as a move by Google to sabotage the ad-blocking ecosystem.
Browsers like Opera, Brave, and Vivaldi announced their plans to ignore Manifest V3 updates and allow users to continue using ad blockers.
Mozilla, which also implemented the WebExtensions API in Firefox for compatibility reasons, also denounced Chrome's plans and said it would not follow Google's WebExtensions API update and would make some changes of its own to allow ad blockers to continue to work as they should.
In the face of all this criticism, Google relented by making some changes to Manifest V3 in March 2019 and relented on even more changes in June, following criticism that it was being dishonest in plans .
Since then, the Manifest V3 changes have begun rolling out to Chrome, although some ad blocker extension developers appear to have abandoned the ability of their products to block ads once these changes reach stable versions of Chrome.
Currently, Manifest V3 changes are being tested in Chrome.
These changes have now arrived in the new Edge, where they are already available in beta and stable versions.
However, Microsoft said today that these changes will not affect ad blockers, a fear many users.
