21-Nov-2023
"Don't be evil"
Those three words used to be Google's motto. A guiding principle even if it meant foregoing some financial gain. I think we can all agree that Google doesn't really live by that motto any longer and hasn't for quite some time.
The latest expression of that lack of "don't be evil" ethos is pretty big. This topic is more complex than what I'll describe here. I'm mainly interested in revealing how regular people will be affected the most.
The world's most popular web browser, Google Chrome, will become severely limited with its ad-blocking capabilities starting middle of 2024. That means that folks using ad-blockers such as uBlock Origin (my recommendation) or other blockers, will see them becoming far less effective.
To be sure, these ad-blockers aren't just blocking bothersome ads. They also block malvertising*, trackers, certain cookies, and other methods of following you around the internet and tracking what you do. With the unholy deluge of ads on the internet these days, ad-blockers are essential to having a safe and tolerable browsing experience.
* Malvertising is when ads contain malware that may infect your device. So if these ads are blocked then they can't infect your device.
Google, of course, spins this upcoming change as a good thing using corporate-speak that you can look up yourself if you wish. But everyone else not burying the lede sees this for what it is -- neutering Chrome so that Google's money freight train keeps on a-chuggin'.
What can you do?
Fortunately, the fix is as simple as it is elegant. Quit using Chrome. I recommend using Firefox, the 20 year-old open-source browser from the Mozilla Foundation, that was popular long before Chrome came along and stole its lunch money. Install link here.
Firefox can import your bookmarks, passwords, and whatever else you want from Chrome. Firefox, like Chrome, also has a password manager. It's a full featured browser that will serve you well. I've been using Firefox almost exclusively* since it's initial release in 2004.
* As an I.T. guy, I have several browsers installed for testing, maintaining my familiarity, etc. But Firefox is my primary browser by far.
Caveat
Google is a truly ginormous company with many divisions and many products. Just because I'm criticizing their decision to neuter Chrome's ad-blocking ability doesn't mean I'm against everything they do.
A prime example is Gmail and their business-oriented sibling, Google Workspace. GW is an excellent product that I use and recommend to my business clients as their email solution.