In a surprising turn of events, the popular content-blocking extension uBlock Origin Lite has been pulled from the Firefox Add-on Store. This decision comes after a series of conflicts between the extension's developer, Raymond Hill, and Mozilla's review team.
The trouble began in early September when Mozilla flagged all versions of uBlock Origin Lite for allegedly violating its policies. Reviewers claimed the extension collected user data and contained machine-generated code, accusations that Hill strongly refuted. He argued that anyone with basic JavaScript knowledge could quickly see these claims were unfounded.
Despite Mozilla later acknowledging their mistake and offering an apology, Hill decided to cease development of uBlock Origin Lite for Firefox. He cited the "nonsensical and hostile" nature of Mozilla's add-on approval process as the primary reason for his decision.
As a result, uBlock Origin Lite is no longer available in the Firefox Add-on Store. Users who wish to continue using the extension can download the final approved version (uBOLite_2024.9.22.986) from GitHub. This version will remain available as a self-hosted release package, but no further updates will be provided.
It's worth noting that the original uBlock Origin extension for Firefox remains unaffected and is still available in the Add-on Store. The Lite version was designed as a Manifest V3-based extension, offering a more resource-efficient alternative to its predecessor.
For Firefox users who prefer uBlock Origin Lite, the developer recommends downloading the latest version from GitHub, which can auto-update itself. This move to self-hosting means users will need to take extra steps to install and maintain the extension outside of Firefox's official channels.
This incident highlights the ongoing challenges developers face in navigating app store policies and review processes. It also underscores the importance of clear communication between platform holders and developers to maintain a healthy ecosystem for extensions and add-ons.
As the situation continues to evolve, users and developers alike will be watching to see if any further developments arise in the relationship between Mozilla and the uBlock Origin project.