Brave browser faces backlash ahead of Japan launch

Brave browser rewards users with BAT for having ads targeted at them and for positive actions online

Brave is an internet browser that seeks to put the user’s privacy first.  The founder of Brave, Brendon Eich, also co-founded Mozilla Firefox, so is well versed in the business of internet browsers.  Eich has sought to tackle the greatest annoyance to users surfing the web: ads and pop-ups.

While ads might seem a mere annoyance to some, Eich is also aware of the threat ads pose to user’s privacy and security of information.  This is why he created Brave, a browser that blocks all unwanted advertisements from websites — resulting in a much faster browser.

BAT (Basic Attention Token) is the native currency for the browser, which can be earned by users for watching approved ads on Brave or interacting positively online. The Brave browser in turn is able to see which websites users frequent and reward the creators of the content for that website with BAT.

Brave is thus revolutionising the internet browser sector by freeing users from unwanted advertisements and providing them instead with targeted ads while paying them for the trouble.

Binance affiliate link controversy

A few days ago, Brave was hit with a scandal regarding an auto-filled affiliate link to Binance.  Whenever a user tried to access the website, an affiliate link would appear in the url bar.

Users were quick to point this out and Eich quickly had to apologise in a Twitter thread.  Having done his best to allay people’s suspicions, Eich’s apology will have undoubtedly not left everyone satisfied and will have raised a few eyebrows.  For a browser that is meant to be paying users for using their services, it is not a good look to have auto-generated affiliate links discovered by users.

Bouncing straight back from this minor controversy, however, Brave announced they would be releasing a limited edition of their browser in collaboration with Korean boy band, BTS.  The move comes as Brave launches in Japan, as reported in Nikkei.

New users in Japan will get to choose between BTS and an eSports team to adorn their browser, a move that aims to bring in different demographics to adopt the browser.  Brave are showing an impressive amount of resilience and adaptability, two meritable traits in the internet browser industry.