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Received — 2 August 2026 ⏭

Dropping Manifest V2 Extensions

✇Michael Tsai
By: Michael Tsai
30 July 2026 at 20:21

Sayan Sen (Hacker News):

For a while now the transition away from Manifest V2 (MV2) to MV3 has been on-going and it looks like it is entering its final phase of deprecation, at least, in the case of Google Chrome. A recent discussion thread in the w3c WebExtensions Community Group GitHub repo has highlighted how the latest and upcoming versions of the most popular browser are expected to be its final releases with support for MV2 extensions.

[…]

Here is a rundown of the changes coming in the final such releases of Chromium releases:

Other Chromium-based browsers like Opera and Microsoft Edge could soon follow suit too. Although it is not specified, Edge began disabling uBlock Origin back in February, and Opera could also stop the functioning of MV2 add-ons, even though it had committed to support MV2 for longer in October 2024.

Google:

Aug 31st 2026: All remaining Manifest V2 extensions removed from the Chrome Web Store

Previously:

Update (2026-09-02): Web Iterate (Hacker News):

Google today reached the final milestone in a browser-extension transition that has been years in the making, all remaining Manifest V2 extensions were removed from the Chrome Web Store.

Chrome Browser Default at the Top of the Mac App Store

✇Michael Tsai
By: Michael Tsai
29 July 2026 at 21:45

Jeff Johnson (Mastodon):

Released less than a month ago by an unknown developer, Chrome Browser Default has somehow become a top download in the United States Mac App Store, alongside well-known developers Amazon, WhatsApp/Facebook/Meta, and Microsoft[…]

[…]

Chrome Browser Default is the top search result for “Google Chrome” in the Mac App Store. Chrome itself is distributed as a direct download from Google, outside the Mac App Store. Notice also that the Chrome Browser Default app icon resembles the Google Chrome app icon[…]

Both the name and icon violate Apple’s guidelines, and the preview images are not actually screenshots of the app. The App Store is great for distributing apps that piggyback on the names of popular apps. They’d be hard to find with a regular Web search, but in the App Store they appear at the top.

The app appears to do what the description says it does, though it’s quite primitive and likely vibe-coded. I can add rules, but I couldn’t find a way to edit or delete added rules, which is ridiculous. The developer’s privacy policy is on GitHub in a repository where most of the commits were co-authored by Claude.

[…]

At the bottom is a section that shows, allegedly, what “People are Saying” about the app. Yet none of these 5-star reviews are from the App Store. According to Google Search, the reviews are not from anywhere on the web.

Jeff Johnson:

This app is no longer available in the Mac App Store.

[…]

I have no idea why the Dutch name “Standaard Browser Wisselen” appears in the alert, because the App Store Purchased section says “Chrome Browser Default,” and my only Mac system language is English (US). The name of the developer in the App Store was Chinese, 立花 卢.

[…]

My suspicion is that Apple, not the developer, removed the app from the App Store, which explains why I can’t download it. Whether this removal was triggered by my blog post or by App Store user reports, I don’t know.

Craig Grannell:

Doesn’t say amazing things for the Mac App Store that I find it faster to search for something in a search engine than within the MAS itself. And that’s when I already know the name of what I’m looking for.

Previously:

Received — 25 July 2026 ⏭

Google Loses Final EU Antitrust Appeal

✇Michael Tsai
By: Michael Tsai
23 July 2026 at 20:46

Ryan Whitwam (PDF, Reddit):

Back in 2018, Google was handed a record-setting 4.34 billion-euro ($4.9 billion) fine in Europe for abusing its monopoly on Android. The company has spent the intervening years challenging that decision, but the continent’s highest court has put a stop to that. The Court of Justice of the European Union has affirmed the penalty, meaning Google is out of options.

[…]

The EU took issue with Google search and Chrome being the default options on Android. Even devices made by other companies, such as Samsung and Xiaomi, include Google apps as the default per the Android licensing agreement, giving Google an unfair advantage, according to European antitrust regulators. This is not to be confused with a 2.95 billion euro ($3.45 billion) fine against Google’s advertising monopoly issued by the European Union last year.

Arjun Kharpal:

In 2022, a lower EU court reduced the fine to the current 4.1 billion euros from 4.34 billion euros previously.

Google has argued that the Android operating system provides choice for users and supports developers and businesses across Europe.

Via John Gruber:

Google last year booked $132 billion in profit; this fine is about 3 percent of that..

[…]

There’s never a reason not to string the appeal process out, but it’s especially true when your profits are growing at an exceptional rate. By growing their profits around 5×, they’ve reduced the relative sting of this fine by 5×

Previously:

Received — 19 July 2026 ⏭
Received — 15 June 2026 ⏭

Google Chrome's Next Update Will Mark the End of Popular Ad Blockers

✇Slashdot
By: BeauHD
15 June 2026 at 22:00
Google is removing Chrome's last remaining workarounds for Manifest V2 extensions, effectively ending support for legacy ad blockers such as the original uBlock Origin. 9to5Google reports: CyberNews points out a Chromium commit that removes support for the "kExtensionManifestV2Disabled" flag, which is referred to as "dead code" seeing as Chrome no longer supports Manifest V2 extensions. This removal acts as the final stop for many Manifest V2-based ad blocker extensions that were still in use today -- the flag was effectively a loophole to continue using these extensions. A Googler on the commit explains: "MV2 extensions are no longer allowed in any supported version of Chrome, and we are removing support for them and the associated functionality. We won't be able to provide / maintain this functionality indefinitely due to the complexity and tech debt, as well as the security risks it entails (we've actually found a number of bugs that are specific to MV2 lately). Of course, other browsers can continue supporting these if they so desire." This will also impact other Chromium-based browsers, though the comment notes that "other browsers can continue supporting these if they so desire." Neowin points out that Microsoft Edge and Opera are likely to follow suit. Chrome 150, set to be released later this month, will remove this flag, while other leftover bits of Manifest V2 will be removed in the v151 release.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Google Chrome is closing the loopholes that let old ad blockers keep working

✇The Verge - All Posts
By: Stevie Bonifield
15 June 2026 at 19:06
An image showing the Chrome logo surrounded by yellow circles

Google Chrome version 150 and 151, expected in late June and July, respectively, will cut off support for the last remaining workarounds for running older ad blockers, 9to5Google reports. Google phased out support for ad-blocking extensions built for Manifest V2, like uBlock Origin, in 2024. At that point, most Chrome users either switched to newer Manifest V3 ad blockers like uBlock Origin Lite or switched to a different browser.

Google is now removing the final bits of code referencing its previous Manifest V2 extensions platform, so only ad blockers that work on the Manifest V3 platform will work in Chrome version 151 onward.

Google d …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Received — 13 June 2026 ⏭
Received — 2 June 2026 ⏭

Beyond Death | Taxation and an Absolute Limit to Human Lifespan

✇Bible Science Forum
By: John Gideon Hartnett
27 September 2025 at 04:15
According to Benjamin Franklin two things are inevitable: death and taxes. Research shows that human lifespan has a natural limitation, due to the decline of physiological resilience. Contrast the desire of the evil elites to overcome death using barbaric practices with the immortality offered by Jesus Christ.

Passa horas no computador? Breathhh ajuda a fazer pausas para respirar e alongar ao longo do dia

✇Tek Notícias
By: franciscaa5c26c075c6
2 June 2026 at 08:27

A Breathhh é uma extensão para o browser com ferramentas para quem se preocupa com o bem-estar e, além de sugerir pausas ao longo do dia, conta com exercícios práticos de respiração e alongamentos, bem como ferramentas de produtividade.

The post Passa horas no computador? Breathhh ajuda a fazer pausas para respirar e alongar ao longo do dia appeared first on Tek Notícias.

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