The popular ad-blocking extension uBlock Origin Lite has been removed from the official Firefox add-on store following a dispute between the extension’s developer and Mozilla. PCWorld reports that uBlock Origin Lite developer Raymond Hill has decided to stop supporting the Firefox version due to controversy.
Image source: Firefox
The conflict began in early September when Mozilla suddenly flagged all versions of uBlock Origin Lite as violating Firefox rules. The add-on was also accused of collecting user data and violating privacy policies – one of the key reasons why many choose Firefox.
Hill denied these accusations, saying: “Anyone with even a basic knowledge of JavaScript can see in a few seconds that these claims have no merit.” Mozilla later admitted that it had made a mistake in evaluating the extension, but Hill decided to stop developing and supporting uBlock Origin Lite for the Firefox browser.
He attributed his decision to Mozilla’s hostile add-on approval process: “The uBO Lite version of Firefox will no longer exist, I am discontinuing support due to the absurd and hostile review process at AMO [addons.mozilla.org]. Every time I look into the situation, I come to the conclusion that the feedback from the Mozilla Add-ons team was too negative, and I basically don’t want to be involved in this process anymore.”
As a result, the extension was permanently removed by the author from the Firefox add-on store, however, the latest version uBOLite_2024.9.22.986 will remain available on GitHub as a self-supported release, but there will be no more new releases.