> Adblock Plus developer here. First of all, let me clarify that unlike Raymond Hill implied [1], this will affect Adblock Plus just like it affects every other ad blocker. The declarativeNetRequest API only covers the same limited subset of filter capabilities implemented in Adblock Plus that it does in uBlock Origin. After all both uBlock Origin and Adblock Plus (as well as others) rely on EasyList. I know that uBlock Origin added some non-standard filter capabilities used by it's own filter list, but so has Adblock Plus.
> Anyway, even with a more complete/powerful declarativeNetRequest API, the browser would essentially become the ad/content blocker, and extensions that used to provide an advanced blocking mechanism will be limited to providing filter rules. This makes it difficult and slow to evolve blocking capabilities, while web sites become better and faster at circumventing ad blocking. Also it makes it difficult to provide a consistent blocking behavior across browsers, which is essential as in the end we rely on the same filter lists.
> The benefits of a declarative approach on the other hand seem bogus. A non-blocking webRequest API (which is planned to remain) is sufficient for a malicious extension, to leak sensible information, and even without, there are still content scripts. In the end, a browser extension is meant to have powerful capabilities in order to extend the functionality of the browser in meaningful way. The only way to ensure security is by moderating the platform extension's are distributed through.

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