Show HN: Adblock-rust Manager – Firefox extension to enable the Brave ad blocker

A new Firefox add-on is promising a very internet fantasy: fewer ads, less tracking, more control. The project, Adblock-rust Manager, lets people switch on and manage Firefox’s hidden built-in blocking engine—the same one tied to Brave’s ad blocker. That alone was enough to send the community into full debate mode, because this was never just about blocking pop-ups. It became a fight over who should be trusted to protect users online.

One camp was curious but skeptical. If Firefox already has its own privacy shield and many people already run uBlock Origin, the big question was basically: what’s the real-life difference? One commenter flat-out said they already use Firefox’s tracking protection plus uBlock and "can’t remember the last time" they saw an ad. Translation: if it ain’t broke, why install another thing?

Then came the ideological fireworks. One of the strongest reactions was a hard nope: ad and tracker blocking, they argued, should stay in the hands of independent browser add-ons, not be folded into the browser itself—especially when the wider ad industry is involved. Others skipped the philosophy and went straight for the practical drama: does it block YouTube ads or not? Because if it can’t beat uBlock on the sites people actually care about, the hype train may stop right there.

And of course, the thread delivered its deadpan comedy line: "Why not use Brave?" In one sentence, the comments turned a neat Firefox tool into a full-blown browser identity crisis.