Microsoft Edge is about to lock out older ad blockers, just like Chrome did

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Microsoft Edge is dropping support for Manifest V2 browser extensions, mirroring Google Chrome’s move and effectively ending support for powerful legacy ad blockers like the classic uBlock Origin on Chromium-based browsers. Commenters weigh whether Manifest V3 meaningfully weakens ad blocking or simply trades some flexibility and configurability for better security and privacy guarantees, noting that lighter MV3-based tools can still block most ads today. The change reignites broader concerns about advertising companies controlling browser standards, the long‑term viability of non-Chromium engines, and whether users should migrate to Firefox or browsers with built‑in content blocking.

Manifest V3, Edge, and Ad Blockers

  • Edge is dropping Manifest V2 support, following Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers.
  • Many see this as effectively degrading “strong” ad blockers like classic uBlock Origin, even if the article frames it as a technical migration.
  • Some argue MV3 doesn’t meaningfully weaken ad blocking; MV3-based tools like uBlock Origin Lite and AdGuard are reported to work well for most users and sites.
  • Others counter that MV3 is inferior: fewer/more limited rules, weaker dynamic capabilities, less configurability, and missing advanced features (custom filtering, response modification, deep anti-tracking).
  • There is concern that ad networks will evolve to exploit MV3’s limits once MV2 is gone.

Security vs. Control

  • Defenders of MV3 emphasize security: MV2 gave extensions very broad powers, seen as an ongoing remote-code-execution risk.
  • Critics say security is being used to justify weakening user control over the network stack, especially for ad/tracking blocking.

User Attitudes Toward Ads (Especially YouTube)

  • Many commenters say the web is unusable without ad blocking; some describe extreme efforts to avoid ads.
  • A minority explicitly refuse to use ad blockers and simply avoid ad-heavy sites or pay for subscriptions (e.g., YouTube Premium).
  • Others combine blocking (browser or DNS) with paid YouTube to support creators or to get an ad-free official mobile app.

Browser Choices and Privacy

  • The change pushes more users away from Edge/Chromium toward Firefox and its forks, largely for extension freedom and privacy.
  • Edge’s telemetry and URL reporting to Microsoft are viewed negatively; similar distrust is expressed toward Google’s ad-driven incentives.
  • There’s debate over Brave: many praise its built-in ad blocker, but some dislike its token/ads ecosystem or Chromium dependence.
  • Vivaldi and other Chromium forks are also dropping MV2; some users abandon them once uBlock Origin (non‑Lite) stops working.
  • Safari with content blockers is reported as a good experience for some, though platform-limited.

Network-Level and DNS Ad Blocking

  • Several users deploy DNS-level blocking (Unbound, Pi-hole-type setups) to protect all devices.
  • Others note this is inherently less capable than browser-based blocking, especially where ads and content share domains or need script/CSS filtering.

Power Concentration in Chromium

  • There is broad concern that Chromium’s dominance lets Google set the rules: forks struggle to maintain divergent features like MV2 long term.
  • Some argue “open source” here doesn’t translate into real user power, because tracking upstream changes is too resource-intensive.