uBlock Origin Extra extension for Chrome

Martin Brinkmann
Jan 23, 2017
Google Chrome
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13

The Google Chrome extension uBlock Origin Extra adds anti-content blocking capabilities to the popular uBlock Origin extension for Chrome.

uBlock Origin is probably the best content blocker for the Google Chrome web browser at this point in time.

The extension is updated regularly, and very powerful when it comes to content blocking thanks to options to add your own rules, and to download rules using various lists.

The rise of ad-blocking makes the advertisement driven business model less viable with every passing month. Companies began exploring options, from hiding content behind paywalls, asking for donations or subscriptions, to earning money through native advertisement.

Another option that more and more companies seem to consider is to implement anti-ad-blocking technologies. Designed to either block access if ad-blockers are detected, or to display ads to users even if ad-blockers are used.

uBlock Origin Extra

The Chrome extension uBlock Origin Extra is a companion application for uBlock Origin. It is designed to add capabilities to work around anti-blocking technologies. It does nothing when installed as a standalone extension, but improves uBlock Origin's capabilities when it is also installed in Chrome.

It adds an icon to the Chrome toolbar, but the icon has no real function. You can hide it to the menu. There are not any options either, it runs automatically without need to configure anything.

The extension provides uBlock Origin with information on WebSocket connection attempts. These can be filtered, and they are also logged.

Another method that is used by sites is to use the WebRTC API to bypass content blockers. Recent versions of uBlock Origin Extra block these sites from using WebRTC for that purpose.

You can check manually if sites use WebRTC by loading chrome://webrtc-internals/.

The third and final option that it adds is that it deals with Instart Logic code running on websites. According to gorhill, the creator of ublock, the technology disguises third-party network requests as first party requests.

Closing Words

So should you install uBlock Origin Extra besides uBlock Origin? It depends. If you run into sites that implement anti-ad-blocking technologies that don't go away when you install the  anti-adblock killer and adblock warning removal list, then you may give it a try as it may remove ads that are still displayed then in the browser.

As always, please consider supporting sites that you visit regularly either by disabling the ad-blocker, or by helping out in other ways. Check out our support page for additional information.

Summary
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Author Rating
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4.5 based on 23 votes
Software Name
uBlock Origin Extra
Software Category
Browser
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Comments

  1. EP said on October 20, 2020 at 8:01 pm
    Reply

    uBlock Origin extra has been discontinued and is recently no longer available from the google chrome web store

    1. EP said on October 22, 2020 at 11:08 pm
      Reply

      this was posted on github uBO-extra page recently:
      https://github.com/gorhill/uBO-Extra

      “Important: As of October 20, 2020, uBO-Extra is discontinued and is no longer present in the Chrome Web store. Instart Logic’s anti-user agent technology appears to have gone away and consequently the extension has become useless, as its main purpose was to foil Instart Logic’s 3rd parties obfuscation technology.”

  2. Britt said on January 26, 2017 at 3:35 pm
    Reply

    Can anyone tell me if uBlock Origin is less of a bloat anchor (pun intended, lol) to Firefox than Adblock Plus? Which one seems to make your browser run better or faster?

  3. Third Eye said on January 24, 2017 at 1:51 pm
    Reply

    Hey Martin, I only block trackers. And those advertisements which track users automatically get eliminated. I achieve this via configured ublock origin to include only the tracking list (and malware domain list) or using privacy bager. I hope it is not unethical like using adblockers. Please reply………………………………….please.

  4. ilev said on January 24, 2017 at 9:07 am
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    Thanks.

  5. D. said on January 23, 2017 at 8:21 pm
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    If these ad-blockers keep getting stronger and stronger I’m not sure how much longer these web site owners especially small ones, will be able to hold out with out some kind of steady stream of help from some where else. Sadly, these are the same people trying to help us.

    I know why we have to use one but does not mean that I like it. Every where I visit regularly uBlock Origin is down.

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on January 23, 2017 at 8:42 pm
      Reply

      Yes, this is hurting, and I think there needs to be a change in understanding. Of course, I’d like to see better ads displayed here on Ghacks as well, but it seems advertising companies are not yet willed to go down that route (less invasion, safer, faster).

      1. Karthikeyan said on January 24, 2017 at 1:49 pm
        Reply

        What is your view about brave browser?

      2. Zoltan Karpathy said on January 24, 2017 at 4:33 am
        Reply

        Whether the ad revenue is traffic-based, view-based, prepaid or whatever, I am simply never going to click an ad. EVER. Why? Because I am a reasonably intelligent person who has learned from past experiences on the internet. And I am most certainly not going to buy a product when the ad is so intrusive that it takes control of the browser, the bandwidth I am paying for, file permissions, and even the volume controls of MY computer. On my property I will keep, see and hear what I deem acceptable, appropriate and necessary. I make no apology for that.

        If corporations and websites have anyone to blame, it is themselves for decades of taking money from less-than-legitimate advertisers pushing tainted pop-ups and computer hijacking nonsense while hawking phony impotence pills, work-from-home scams, cheap tat and a side helping of spyware/malware.

        With radio, TV and print commercials/ads, I can tuned them out as noise. On the internet they are unregulated, exceedingly in-your-face, outright suspect and potentially dangerous. If anything needs to be changed, it is the entire model of internet advertising.

      3. Martin Brinkmann said on January 24, 2017 at 6:15 am
        Reply

        I hardly click on ads at all as well, but there are some that catch my interest. Ads that are just displayed but not clicked may earn sites money as well.

  6. Nicky said on January 23, 2017 at 5:35 pm
    Reply

    Will there be a version for Firefox?

    1. Danny said on January 23, 2017 at 5:53 pm
      Reply

      Firefox with uBlock Origin doesn’t need the Extra thing according to Gorhill’s list of what it does.
      1. The Instart Logic crapware is not run on Firefox, most likely because it cannot work.
      2. WebRTC and websockets are not blockable through usual means on Chromium-based browsers. Firefox with uBlock doesn’t have this limitation.

      Who knows what other limits Chrome extensions have, but I’ve seen adblockers being defeated a number of times on Chrome where they were not on Firefox.

  7. andy said on January 23, 2017 at 5:32 pm
    Reply

    I have had this installed for the past year. Helps some on those adblocker blocker pages.

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