--- a/browser/components/extensions/ext-bookmarks.js
+++ b/browser/components/extensions/ext-bookmarks.js
@@ -66,22 +66,17 @@ const getTree = (rootGuid, onlyChildren)
           ? node.children.map(child => convert(child, node))
           : [];
       }
     }
 
     return treenode;
   }
 
-  return PlacesUtils.promiseBookmarksTree(rootGuid, {
-    excludeItemsCallback: item => {
-      return item.annos &&
-             item.annos.find(a => a.name == PlacesUtils.EXCLUDE_FROM_BACKUP_ANNO);
-    },
-  }).then(root => {
+  return PlacesUtils.promiseBookmarksTree(rootGuid).then(root => {
     if (onlyChildren) {
       let children = root.children || [];
       return children.map(child => convert(child, root));
     }
     let treenode = convert(root, null);
     treenode.parentId = root.parentGuid;
     // It seems like the array always just contains the root node.
     return [treenode];

--- a/services/sync/tests/unit/test_bookmark_validator.js
+++ b/services/sync/tests/unit/test_bookmark_validator.js
@@ -275,32 +275,20 @@ add_task(async function test_cswc_differ
 });
 
 add_task(async function test_cswc_serverUnexpected() {
   let {server, client} = getDummyServerAndClient();
   client.children.push({
     "guid": "dddddddddddd",
     "title": "",
     "id": 2000,
-    "annos": [{
-      "name": "places/excludeFromBackup",
-      "flags": 0,
-      "expires": 4,
-      "value": 1
-    }],
     "type": "text/x-moz-place-container",
     "children": [{
       "guid": "eeeeeeeeeeee",
       "title": "History",
-      "annos": [{
-        "name": "places/excludeFromBackup",
-        "flags": 0,
-        "expires": 4,
-        "value": 1
-      }],
       "type": "text/x-moz-place",
       "uri": "place:type=3&sort=4"
     }]
   });
   server.push({
     id: "dddddddddddd",
     parentid: "places",
     parentName: "",

--- a/toolkit/components/places/BookmarkJSONUtils.jsm
+++ b/toolkit/components/places/BookmarkJSONUtils.jsm
@@ -66,18 +66,16 @@ var BookmarkJSONUtils = Object.freeze({
     } catch (ex) {
       Cu.reportError("Failed to restore bookmarks from " + aSpec + ": " + ex);
       notifyObservers(PlacesUtils.TOPIC_BOOKMARKS_RESTORE_FAILED, aReplace);
     }
   },
 
   /**
    * Restores bookmarks and tags from a JSON file.
-   * @note any item annotated with "places/excludeFromBackup" won't be removed
-   *       before executing the restore.
    *
    * @param aFilePath
    *        OS.File path string of bookmarks in JSON or JSONlz4 format to be restored.
    * @param [options.replace]
    *        Whether we should erase existing bookmarks before importing.
    * @param [options.source]
    *        The bookmark change source, used to determine the sync status for
    *        imported bookmarks. Defaults to `RESTORE` if `replace = true`, or
@@ -243,17 +241,17 @@ BookmarkImporter.prototype = {
     }
 
     // Change to nodes[0].children as we don't import the root, and also filter
     // out any obsolete "tagsFolder" sections.
     nodes = nodes[0].children.filter(node => !node.root || node.root != "tagsFolder");
 
     // If we're replacing, then erase existing bookmarks first.
     if (this._replace) {
-      await PlacesBackups.eraseEverythingIncludingUserRoots({ source: this._source });
+      await PlacesUtils.bookmarks.eraseEverything({ source: this._source });
     }
 
     let folderIdToGuidMap = {};
     let searchGuids = [];
 
     // Now do some cleanup on the imported nodes so that the various guids
     // match what we need for insertTree, and we also have mappings of folders
     // so we can repair any searches after inserting the bookmarks (see bug 824502).

--- a/toolkit/components/places/PlacesBackups.jsm
+++ b/toolkit/components/places/PlacesBackups.jsm
@@ -64,39 +64,16 @@ function getBackupFileForSameDate(aFilen
     for (let backupFile of backupFiles) {
       if (isFilenameWithSameDate(OS.Path.basename(backupFile), aFilename))
         return backupFile;
     }
     return null;
   })();
 }
 
-/**
- * Returns the top-level bookmark folders ids and guids.
- *
- * @return {Promise} Resolve with an array of objects containing id and guid
- *                   when the query is complete.
- */
-async function getTopLevelFolderIds() {
-  let db =  await PlacesUtils.promiseDBConnection();
-  let rows = await db.execute(
-    "SELECT id, guid FROM moz_bookmarks WHERE parent = :parentId",
-    { parentId: PlacesUtils.placesRootId }
-  );
-
-  let guids = [];
-  for (let row of rows) {
-    guids.push({
-      id: row.getResultByName("id"),
-      guid: row.getResultByName("guid")
-    });
-  }
-  return guids;
-}
-
 var PlacesBackups = {
   /**
    * Matches the backup filename:
    *  0: file name
    *  1: date in form Y-m-d
    *  2: bookmarks count
    *  3: contents hash
    *  4: file extension
@@ -239,18 +216,16 @@ var PlacesBackups = {
          }
        }
        return null;
     })();
   },
 
   /**
    * Serializes bookmarks using JSON, and writes to the supplied file.
-   * Note: any item that should not be backed up must be annotated with
-   *       "places/excludeFromBackup".
    *
    * @param aFilePath
    *        OS.File path for the "bookmarks.json" file to be created.
    * @return {Promise}
    * @resolves the number of serialized uri nodes.
    */
   async saveBookmarksToJSONFile(aFilePath) {
     let { count: nodeCount, hash: hash } =
@@ -298,18 +273,16 @@ var PlacesBackups = {
     }
 
     return nodeCount;
   },
 
   /**
    * Creates a dated backup in <profile>/bookmarkbackups.
    * Stores the bookmarks using a lz4 compressed JSON file.
-   * Note: any item that should not be backed up must be annotated with
-   *       "places/excludeFromBackup".
    *
    * @param [optional] int aMaxBackups
    *                       The maximum number of backups to keep.  If set to 0
    *                       all existing backups are removed and aForceBackup is
    *                       ignored, so a new one won't be created.
    * @param [optional] bool aForceBackup
    *                        Forces creating a backup even if one was already
    *                        created that day (overwrites).
@@ -411,19 +384,17 @@ var PlacesBackups = {
     let matches = filename.match(filenamesRegex);
     if (matches && matches[2])
       count = matches[2];
     return count;
   },
 
   /**
    * Gets a bookmarks tree representation usable to create backups in different
-   * file formats.  The root or the tree is PlacesUtils.placesRootId.
-   * Items annotated with PlacesUtils.EXCLUDE_FROM_BACKUP_ANNO and all of their
-   * descendants are excluded.
+   * file formats.  The root or the tree is PlacesUtils.bookmarks.rootGuid.
    *
    * @return an object representing a tree with the places root as its root.
    *         Each bookmark is represented by an object having these properties:
    *         * id: the item id (make this not enumerable after bug 824502)
    *         * title: the title
    *         * guid: unique id
    *         * parent: item id of the parent folder, not enumerable
    *         * index: the position in the parent
@@ -438,64 +409,21 @@ var PlacesBackups = {
    *         * charset: last known charset
    *         * tags: csv string of tags
    *         * root: string describing whether this represents a root
    *         * children: array of child items in a folder
    */
   async getBookmarksTree() {
     let startTime = Date.now();
     let root = await PlacesUtils.promiseBookmarksTree(PlacesUtils.bookmarks.rootGuid, {
-      excludeItemsCallback: aItem => {
-        return aItem.annos &&
-          aItem.annos.find(a => a.name == PlacesUtils.EXCLUDE_FROM_BACKUP_ANNO);
-      },
       includeItemIds: true
     });
 
     try {
       Services.telemetry
               .getHistogramById("PLACES_BACKUPS_BOOKMARKSTREE_MS")
               .add(Date.now() - startTime);
     } catch (ex) {
       Cu.reportError("Unable to report telemetry.");
     }
     return [root, root.itemsCount];
   },
-
-  /**
-   * Wrapper for PlacesUtils.bookmarks.eraseEverything that removes non-default
-   * roots.
-   *
-   * Note that default roots are preserved, only their children will be removed.
-   *
-   * TODO Ideally we wouldn't need to worry about non-default roots. However,
-   * until bug 1310299 is fixed, we still need to manage them.
-   *
-   * @param {Object} [options={}]
-   *        Additional options. Currently supports the following properties:
-   *         - source: The change source, forwarded to all bookmark observers.
-   *           Defaults to nsINavBookmarksService::SOURCE_DEFAULT.
-   *
-   * @return {Promise} resolved when the removal is complete.
-   * @resolves once the removal is complete.
-   */
-  async eraseEverythingIncludingUserRoots(options = {}) {
-    if (!options.source) {
-      options.source = PlacesUtils.bookmarks.SOURCES.DEFAULT;
-    }
-
-    let excludeItems =
-      PlacesUtils.annotations.getItemsWithAnnotation(PlacesUtils.EXCLUDE_FROM_BACKUP_ANNO);
-
-    let rootFolderChildren = await getTopLevelFolderIds();
-
-    // We only need to do top-level roots here.
-    for (let child of rootFolderChildren) {
-      if (!PlacesUtils.bookmarks.userContentRoots.includes(child.guid) &&
-          child.guid != PlacesUtils.bookmarks.tagsGuid &&
-          !excludeItems.includes(child.id)) {
-       await PlacesUtils.bookmarks.remove(child.guid, {source: options.source});
-      }
-    }
-
-    return PlacesUtils.bookmarks.eraseEverything(options);
-  },
 };

--- a/toolkit/components/places/PlacesUtils.jsm
+++ b/toolkit/components/places/PlacesUtils.jsm
@@ -318,17 +318,16 @@ var PlacesUtils = {
   TYPE_X_MOZ_URL: "text/x-moz-url",
   // Place entries formatted as HTML anchors
   TYPE_HTML: "text/html",
   // Place entries as raw URL text
   TYPE_UNICODE: "text/unicode",
   // Used to track the action that populated the clipboard.
   TYPE_X_MOZ_PLACE_ACTION: "text/x-moz-place-action",
 
-  EXCLUDE_FROM_BACKUP_ANNO: "places/excludeFromBackup",
   LMANNO_FEEDURI: "livemark/feedURI",
   LMANNO_SITEURI: "livemark/siteURI",
   POST_DATA_ANNO: "bookmarkProperties/POSTData",
   READ_ONLY_ANNO: "placesInternal/READ_ONLY",
   CHARSET_ANNO: "URIProperties/characterSet",
   // Deprecated: This is only used for supporting import from older datasets.
   MOBILE_ROOT_ANNO: "mobile/bookmarksRoot",
 

--- a/toolkit/components/places/tests/sync/test_sync_utils.js
+++ b/toolkit/components/places/tests/sync/test_sync_utils.js
@@ -84,23 +84,16 @@ var populateTree = async function popula
           Object.assign(guids, await populate(guid, ...item.children));
         }
         break;
 
       default:
         throw new Error(`Unsupported item type: ${item.type}`);
     }
 
-    if (item.exclude) {
-      let itemId = await PlacesUtils.promiseItemId(guid);
-      PlacesUtils.annotations.setItemAnnotation(
-        itemId, PlacesUtils.EXCLUDE_FROM_BACKUP_ANNO, "Don't back this up", 0,
-        PlacesUtils.annotations.EXPIRE_NEVER);
-    }
-
     guids[item.title] = guid;
   }
 
   return guids;
 };
 
 var recordIdToId = async function recordIdToId(recordId) {
   let guid = await PlacesSyncUtils.bookmarks.recordIdToGuid(recordId);