Top developers behind advert - blocking and anti - tracking web web browser extensions say they ’re alarmed by potential change coming to Chrome lately reveal in a public Google text file . As a outcome , at least one caller is now peril potential legal action .
The proposed design change would supersede the API relied upon by privacy extensions likeuBlockandGhosterywith another designed to “ diminish the potency of content blocking and ad block extension , ” the Registerreportedon Tuesday . The proposal would leave functional introductory filter employ by Adblock Plus , which , the site noted , Google hasreportedly paidto whitelist its own ads .
Extension developer say , among other potential result , the changes would kill competitor among third - political party advertizement blockers by placing new limits on their sophistication , ultimately make it hard to adequately shield Chrome users from unsought online tracking .
“ This would fundamentally mean that Google is destroying advert blocking and privateness protection as we have it off it , ” Ghostery said in a statement . “ They pretend to do this for the sake of privateness and web web browser public presentation , however in reality , user would be left with only very limited ways to prevent third parties from intercepting their surfing doings or to get rid of unwanted content . ”
aver the change would represent a “ misuse ” of Google ’s “ marketplace - dominating spot , ” Ghostery added that it would “ consider filing an anti - trust ailment ” if Google followed through .
Here ’s how Ghostery described the marriage proposal :
Today , web browser propagation can use Chrome / Chromium ’s webRequest API to impede requests , which is the prerequisite to block ads and more importantly track scripts used to supervise users ’ behavior and build personal profiles . In the proposed young model , the webRequest API will be supplant by the young declarativeNetRequest API . Essentially , this means an extension can send out Chrome / Cr a list of blocking normal and Chrome / chromium will do the block establish on these patterns . It will , however , no longer be possible to modify or kill potentially dangerous or secrecy - infest requests . The proposal would enforce vast restriction on extension developer and would make it more unmanageable for users to protect themselves .
Initially telling reporters that its proposal is merely “ open to change , ” Google signaled more strongly on Wednesday that it was preparing to rule in its plans . “ We want to ensure all fundamental use case are still possible with these change and are working with extension developers to ensure their reference continue to work , ” a Google spokesperson told Gizmodo .
The Registerreportedon related concerns elevate by Raymond Hill , pass developer ofuBlock Origin — a content - block off extension with more than 10 million active Chrome user — who said his privacy computer software would “ no longer be capable to exist ” if Google implemented the marriage proposal depict in thepublic papers .
Hill add that the change would alike breakuMatrix , a more advanced extension service with mealy controls for reserve users to block link and depicted object by data point character .
The Google developers ’ initial abstract thought behind the changes , according to its software documentation , is to provide “ better privateness to substance abuser ” by preventing telephone extension from reading “ connection requests made on the user ’s behalf . ”
This is a developing story .
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