Content settings aren't a new feature to Google Chrome, but as the browser matures it looks as though the Big G is making granular controls.

Two recent additions to the Chromium source code combine to function very much like FlashBlock does: per-plug-in content settings and click-to-play. Visit a page with the former enabled, and the latter allows you to click any element you want to display. Better still, you can whitelist an entire website. Simply click the puzzle piece in Chrome's Omnibar and the menu above is displayed. To try it out right now, you'll need to download a recent Chromium snapshot build and add two command line switches: --enable-resource-content-settings and --enable-click-to-play.

Why would you want to do this? Two big reasons are security and transfer caps.

While Chrome itself is a very secure browser, plug-ins (especially out-of-date ones) can pose a major security risk. By using click-to-play and manually whitelisting sites you trust, you're giving yourself a little added protection against nefarious types who use things like Flash to perform drive-by attacks on unwary surfers. And because blocking prevents the elements from downloading without your consent, click-to-play can also help you conserve bandwidth.

The FlashBlock extension currently has more than 160,000 users -- I'm curious to see if that number dwindles once this code makes its way into Chrome's beta and stable channels. It sure seems as though the enhanced content settings will make FlashBlock redundant.

What do you think? Sound off in the comments!