Jan 06, 2025 21:00:00

'Browser extension that lets you earn money in exchange for watching ads' violates GPL by using uBlock Origin code

It has been revealed that the browser extension '

Pie Adblock ,' which removes ads on websites while inserting its own rewarded ads, is using code from the open source ad blocking extension ' uBlock Origin .' It has been pointed out that Pie Adblock's use of code may violate the uBlock Origin license.

Pie Adblock is a browser extension that has the general ad blocking function as well as the ability to display unique reward ads, and appeals to users that they can block ads and earn money. The Chrome version of Pie Adblock is used by more than 1 million users at the time of writing.

However, when digging inside the Pie Adblock package, we find a filter file called “ublock-fixes.txt” that appears to be related to uBlock Origin.

The contents of 'ublock-fixes.txt' look like this. At the beginning, the title 'uBlock filters' is written, and the license column contains the URL of the uBlock Origin license page '

https://github.com/uBlockOrigin/uAssets/blob/master/LICENSE '. In other words, Pie Adblock is likely copying uBlock Origin resources. According to Reddit user advancedthreatdefend , who reported the problem, Pie Adblock was also using some of the scripts from uBlock Origin in addition to the filters.

Since uBlock Origin is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 , other projects that use uBlock Origin source code are obligated to disclose the source code and provide attribution. advancedthreatdefend points out that 'Pie Adblock is not an open source project' and that Pie Adblock violates the uBlock Origin license.

Ryan Hudson , founder of 'Pie,' which distributes Pie Adblock, is also known as the developer of the extension 'PayPal Honey,' which automatically presents coupons at online shops. However, this PayPal Honey has also been criticized for 'replacing affiliate-related cookies with its own cookies and depriving influencers of revenue by introducing products,' leading to the lawyer YouTuber LegalEagle filing a lawsuit against PayPal.

Popular browser extension 'PayPal Honey' has been found to be stealing influencers' affiliate revenue and offering unfavorable deals to users - GIGAZINE