Adblocker uBlock Origin is available for Edge users

Developer Nick Rolls has revealed that he has ported the adblocker extension uBlock Origin to Microsoft’s Edge browser. The release is not yet complete, so some fixes still need to be implemented.

Rolls writes that it is a pre-release, which can now be downloaded from the Windows Store. This version is functional, but still has some issues. For example, some users complain that they cannot install the extension from the Store and that Bing ads are not blocked. The developer reports that 95 percent of the open source code of the original uBlock extension has been copied in its version. He is responding to criticism that it is not an ‘official’ version. During his work, he was supported by Microsoft’s Edge team.

The adblocker uBlock Origin is a popular extension, which was available for Chrome and Firefox until now. On these platforms, the software has 7.1 million and 2.5 million users respectively. The software has to protect against advertisements and tracking, which makes it a ‘wide-spectrum blocker’. An added benefit is that users are protected from malvertising, where malware spreads using malicious ads.

The alternative software AdBlock Plus has been available for the Edge browser for some time. Eyeo, the company behind it, launched an initiative in September to show “acceptable” ads to users. In addition to uBlock Origin, there is also the uBlock software, which is maintained by another developer. The two versions have little to do with each other, according to the developer of uBlock Origin, which is the original software. The developer of uBlock created its own fork, which hasn’t had an update for a long time.