755: Chrome Extensions and Ad Blockers VS Google with Oliver Dunk

We were wrong, Manifest V3 is a big deal. Scott and Wes sit down with Oliver Dunk from Google to dive into the intricate world of Chrome Extensions development. From dissecting Manifest V3 to exploring the evolving landscape of browser security and extension reviews, this conversation covers the present and future of browser customization.

Show Notes

• 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
• 00:32 Who is Oliver Dunk?
• 02:00 Brought to you by Sentry.
• 03:17 Manifest V3.
• 08:59 How many rules can you add?
• 09:56 What even is a rule?
• 10:52 Is Google trying to kill ad blockers?
• 13:56 What are the bad guys doing with Chrome extensions?
• 15:17 Can a browser extension access HTTP-only cookies?
• 16:06 Is Chrome reviewing all of these extensions?
• 19:06 Is there a way to side-step Google’s review process?
• Reddit Thread, The real threat of Manifest V3
• 20:32 Do you see the negative chatter?
• 21:18 Service workers - how do do you access the DOM?
• 23:32 Do you think we’ll see more DOM APIs in service workers?
• 25:58 Do you have a favorite Chrome extension?
• 28:33 Has Google ever explored something comparable to Boost?
• SidePanel
• 33:09 Let’s talk about the development stack.
• 35:54 1Password and Chrome.
• 38:39 What is the best way to debug an extension?
• YouTube Chrome for Developers
• 40:33 Manifest V3 and the web request blocking API.
• 41:57 Known tracking payloads.
• 44:04 Do you think there is a path forward that makes ad-block developers happy?
• 44:45 Do you run an ad blocker?
• 45:20 Whitelisting and opt-ins.
• 46:38 What’s your tech setup?
• 47:18 What do you do to stay up to date?
• 47:51 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs.
• 51:47 Wait, is Safari adopting V3 as well?

Sick Picks

• Oliver: Defunctland YouTube, LEMMiNO YouTube

Shameless Plugs

• Oliver: Chrome Extensions Getting Started, WebExtension Playground

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