
Previously rejected uBlock Origin Has Been Approved for the Chrome Web Store - judge2020
https://old.reddit.com/r/chrome/comments/dgoymg/warning_ubo_ublock_origin_will_possibly_be/f3fwlto/
======
dooglius
They are backtracking because of the size of the backlash. Google will keep
trying to kill adblockers that don't exempt Google's ads, until they get away
with it quietly. I know this was not a mistake because they used the exact
same single-use-only rejection to kill AdNauseam, a less popular ad-blocker I
use: [https://adnauseam.io/free-adnauseam.html](https://adnauseam.io/free-
adnauseam.html)

Also, they then doubled down and blocked manual installation of AdNauseam,
which is an overstep even if they were somehow justified in the ban.

~~~
zamadatix
AdNauseum wasn't targeted because it was small it was targeted because it
abused ad networks instead of blocking them. I'm not saying blocking the
extension was right or wrong I'm just pointing out you're conveniently
dropping details that don't fit your narrative.

> Also, they then doubled down and blocked manual installation of AdNauseam,
> which is an overstep even if they were somehow justified in the ban.

No they didn't. Again I'm not saying I agree or disagree with your stance on
AdNauseam being blocked from the store but your wording conveniently drops
details that don't fit your narrative. Chrome won't load any packaged
extension that isn't in the store but it loads unpacked extensions regardless
when you click the developer mode toggle. When installed manually with the
steps on [https://github.com/dhowe/AdNauseam/wiki/Install-AdNauseam-
on...](https://github.com/dhowe/AdNauseam/wiki/Install-AdNauseam-on-Chrome-
Without-Google's-Permission) the extension loads fine.

~~~
dooglius
> AdNauseum wasn't targeted because it was small it was targeted because it
> abused ad networks instead of blocking them.

Well, maybe. The stated reason for both of the bans was the single-use-only
policy, which is clearly BS. The fact that AdNauseam is more damaging for
Google certainly wouldn't help its case, but the fact that Google has now gone
after uBlock as well indicates they don't make much of a distinction between
the two. The point of my comment is not so much to relitigate the AdNauseam
ban, but to argue that both bans were not errant mistakes but deliberate
moves.

> Chrome won't load any packaged extension that isn't in the store but it
> loads unpacked extensions regardless when you click the developer mode
> toggle.

It looks like you're right, and I was not aware of this; I thought the packed
extension blocking was specific to AdNauseam. The page I linked is being
somewhat disingenuous on this point. Unfortunately, it's too late for me to
edit my comment now.

------
troydavis
Simeon/dotproto: after you’ve talked with the review team and anyone else
involved, how about posting a detailed postmortem explaining what happened and
why? The actual explanation can't be any worse than what everyone will assume
if no explanation is published.

It could be a Chrome blog post or a submission to HN and Reddit r/chrome.

Also, thank you for your transparency in comments like
[https://www.reddit.com/r/chrome/comments/dgoymg/warning_ubo_...](https://www.reddit.com/r/chrome/comments/dgoymg/warning_ubo_ublock_origin_will_possibly_be/#f3h66fl).

~~~
zamadatix
> The actual explanation can't be any worse than what everyone will assume if
> no explanation is published.

Sure it can. I mean the best case scenario is them confirming, yet again, they
plan to neuter ad blockers in forthcoming updates and getting more bad press
around that. The worst case is all of the backlash for banning ad blockers
comes out at once while when blockers are still at peak ability/usage instead
of when they have been slowly chipped away at.

Attention goes away quicker if they don't say anything at all. The only reason
they are saying this much this time is because it's too soon for something
like this to happen and it'd generate too much backlash so they are killing
the news cycle while it's still just "assumptions on the possibility it'll be
removed in the future".

------
Causality1
This is only temporary I'm afraid. The writing is on the wall for chrome
adblockers. Google can afford to wear us down until there's no one left with
the energy for outrage.

