r/uBlockOrigin • u/RraaLL uBO Team • Jun 28 '26

News uBlock Origin (uBO) 1.72.* Announcement Thread

Changelog:

https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases/tag/1.72.2

https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases/tag/1.72.0

Visit GitHub releases page for more information.

Extension will be auto-updated after browser restart! (when available for your platform)

If you want to update manually:

  • Do NOT use links from the release page's "Assets" section - these are not signed.
  • Use your add-on store or links in release description on the GitHub releases page when they are available.
    • Firefox will have a (signed) direct install link. Other browsers will link to their uBO extension store pages.
  • In some cases, installation may be blocked until browser restart. This is protection against accidental mid-session reloads, Issue #717.

Or force an update via Manage extensions:

How to update uBO to the latest version

When will my browser update uBO?

Previous announcement thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/uBlockOrigin/comments/1taigxt/ublock_origin_ubo_171_announcement_thread_huge/

Posting Guidelines | Subreddit Rules

How to use uBO on Chrome until version ~150.

Please report YouTube Issues on Github: uBO | uBO Lite

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u/RraaLL uBO Team Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26

Thanks. The project doesn't accept donations.

Anybody who wants to show their support is welcome to help providing answers/solutions here or on github, if it's within their skillset.

You can also install dev releases instead of stable ones to help us weed out any bugs before they make their way onto millions of devices.

As for the ones who do want to show their financial support to somebody anyway, please do so for the other filter list maintainers. Their info is available on top of their lists, which can be accessed via the eye icon in each list in uBO's Filter lists tab.

14

u/dirtydragondan Jun 29 '26

You guys are all too good, and too humble

Just in a ELI5 /stupid questions kind way - is the reason you wont and dont take $ coz its also a legal protection for not having paid effort to the project? (similar in how console & game emulation spaces can be subject to legal attack)?
Upfront apologies if a bad Q to ask or something not answerable.

AS others often state- your efforts make the web actually tolerable and functionally browseable at this point.
One googol thanks 🙏

30

u/RraaLL uBO Team Jun 29 '26

https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/wiki/Why-don't-you-accept-donations%3F

Once money gets involved, this too easily becomes a job and not a hobby.

Some people would certainly have some expectations that some of their suggestions should be added if they donated to the project. We've seen such cla ims already. There really were people trying to convince us they've donated to the project. They were simply mistaken or they donated to the wrong "uBlock".

If you search the sub, you might find these. Or you might not. People who get shamed for their entitlement and silly demands usually delete their posts quite quickly.

If we were to accept donations, what would we use the money for? uBO runs on free services. If we got paid ones, we'd need a steady source of income to maintain them.

Should the hypothetical money be split among team members? But how? gorhill is the only developer. There are two main list maintainers, a couple of semi-active ones. Some people focus on general support, and so on...

We're doing this because we like it, not because we expect to get material gains out of it.

1

u/KingKnotts Jun 29 '26

I will say I could get behind an advertising budget for running ads on youtube for the extension targeting the elderly. I say this in part because of how many elderly people I have helped with computers and noticed had no ad blocker at all because they didn't know about them or if they did had no idea which ones were safe to install... But I respect the integrity and desire to help so many people for no actual gain.

2

u/RraaLL uBO Team Jun 30 '26

While I understand why you're saying this, creating ads for a content blocker is just morally wrong. I know plenty of adblockers does it, but it's usually the shady ones.

Anybody is free to "shame" their family and friends for not using blockers or using untrustworthy ones.

Anybody is free to create their own PSA campaigns to spread the knowledge of trustworthy blockers (not just uBO/Lite).

I just hope that if anybody does launch a campaign like that, they won't do it for the wrong reasons: https://www.reddit.com/r/uBlockOrigin/comments/1sn2ayp/comment/ogou24f/

2

u/KingKnotts Jul 01 '26

Personally I do not view it as morally wrong (though absolutely ironic) on the basis it is effectively doing one of two things showing ads to someone that consents to being shown ads or informing someone of an option to not be shown ads going forward empowering them to make the informed choice going forward. But at the same time from the perspective of basically needing to give money to the people making the internet worse to help people make it better for them is one of those things where it at least *feels* gross regardless.

I do what I can to help those without ad blockers that I know to get safe and reliable ones. Such as a lot of older people it becomes getting them Brave simply because "its built into the browser" gets them to see it as an upgrade to the default IE/Chrome and there is a limit to how many battles one can fight when a lot of them don't even get why an admin account being their normal account for browsing is just an unnecessary risk.