- >News
- >What Are the Top 3 Things People Get Wrong About Brave?
What Are the Top 3 Things People Get Wrong About Brave?
Internet browsers have been branded “data collection agencies” for the information they gather about users and sell to advertisers. In these times, many online users have accepted giving up their data as a trade-off for using the internet. This is problematic in several ways. First, people are entitled to their privacy. Second, the data collected could end up in the hands of malicious actors or be given to third-party commercial entities in a legally grey fashion.
Brave is a privacy browser relatively new in the scene — but changing the digital privacy conversation. It was launched in 2019 and has already cultivated a 50+ million user base. That number speaks to a swelling movement of users who want privacy as they surf the web.
In the same vein, many users might be at sea regarding some of the browser’s intricacies. To help you make the most out of Brave, we listed the top three things people get wrong about the browser.
Misconception #1: All Ads Are Blocked on Brave
Brave’s main selling point is its ability to block vexatious ads. It achieves this with the default Brave Shields feature that also blocks third-party trackers, pop-ups, and auto-play videos. Shields also blocks cross-domain cookies which can cause users to be susceptible to malicious tracking.
Since that’s Brave’s most salient feature, it’s easy to think that the browser is a complete ad-free land. In the actual sense, Brave features an “opt-in ad ecosystem” — which is exactly as it sounds — you can choose to see or not see ads.
Now, the “opt-in” is the browser’s default setting. For that reason, you need to enable ads to see them. You also have the option to control when and how many ads to see. And unlike with other browsers where the ads will be all over the web page — making it unwieldy and crowded, Brave presents ads as push notifications that you can view or dismiss.
Brave rewards users for their “attention” in keeping with its many browser firsts. Users receive 70% of the ad revenue and a quick web search shows users reporting earning around 3-5 BAT per month.
Misconception #2: BAT and Brave Are the Same Thing
Folks who’ve heard of Brave have probably heard of BAT too, and that’s it. It’s not uncommon to hear someone state they want to “download the BAT browser” or “buy some Brave coins.”
As mentioned before, Brave is the revolutionary, privacy-focused browser that shields users from third-party trackers by default — making it arguably the most private browser. Brave integrates blockchain tech to support the Basic Attention Token (BAT). BAT, built on Ethereum and integrated with Solana, is the native token of the Brave ecosystem.
BAT is the lever that controls the Brave ecosystem. For one, it’s the incentive for viewing ads in the browser. Users can opt to view ads and net Brave Rewards in the form of BAT.
Since user attention is being valued and rewarded, advertisers can actually be sure their ads are being viewed. Brave Rewards also allows users to tip publishers and content creators whose work they like directly in the browser. Ultimately, you get a virtuous cycle that’s fair for everyone, with BAT powering it all.
You have two options with your BAT:
- Reroute it back to the system by rewarding content publishers whose work you enjoy.
- Trade it for crypto or cash on major exchanges like Gemini, Coinbase, Kraken, and Binance.
Misconception #3: You Need a Wallet to Start Earning BAT
Another misconception about Brave. In reality, once you download the browser and opt to view ads, you start earning BAT automatically. Your tokens are saved locally on your browser in the Brave Wallet. This wallet allows you to manage, buy, and transfer your BAT.
However, Brave doesn’t support withdrawing/cashing out from Brave wallet at this time. To withdraw BAT, you’ll need to sign up for an external wallet such as Uphold and Gemini — which Brave has partnered with. To do so, tap “verify wallet” in Brave Rewards and follow the prompts. Once your wallet is created, you can:
- Exchange your BAT for fiat and crypto.
- Buy more BAT by exchanging fiat with crypto or crypto for crypto.
- Store your BAT.
- Transfer BAT from Brave Wallet to the external wallet.
What’s Brave’s Value Proposition?
The internet has become a ubiquitous fixture of modern existence. Over half of the global population goes online daily to search for information, network with others, play games, and more. The world wide web is not a luxury anymore, but rather an indispensable component of people’s lives. But the proliferation of the internet has also wrought one negative for privacy: ads.
If you’re thinking, what’s so bad about ads? Well, the ads themselves aren’t so bad, but the same can’t be said about the process by which they target audiences. Every time you search for something online, advertisers build a digital profile of you that’s then used to target you with ads based on your digital footprint.
The conversation around user privacy has never been more relevant than in the wake of massive data breach scandals like Cambridge Analytica. Search giant Google has also been on the spot for privacy issues, including tracking users and storing users’ personally identifiable information (PII).
Putting It All Together
Against this backdrop, Brave completely re-imagines everything. The browser, founded by JavaScript creator and Mozilla Firefox co-founder Brendan Eich, was launched in 2019. Although it pales in popularity to industry pioneers such as Google and Yahoo, Brave holds its own well.
Brave is a game-changer for digital advertising and user privacy. For users that want to stay incognito in the wild west that’s the internet, Brave is the go-to option. We hope this article can shed some light on some of the unclear aspects of the browser.
