Launched back in 2016 as a privacy-focused open-source browser with an integrated cryptocurrency payment platform, Brave Browser is finally out of beta. According to the company’s official website, the final stable version of the software – Brave Browser v1.0 – is now available for download on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. The team behind Brave Browser last month claimed that around 8 million people per month use the beta version of the software.
The brainchild of former Mozilla CEO, Brendan Eich, Brave Browser is based on Chromium and, is part of growing browsers that promise to block ads and trackers by default. The USP of this software, however, is its ‘cryptographic token’ system that allows users to donate cryptocurrency to publishers without having to pay anything from their pocket. As part of the plan, it comes with the so-called ‘Brave Payments’ service that enables users to pay cryptocurrencies to blogs, sites, and YouTubers they like.
While Bitcoin was Brave’s original cryptocurrency of choice, the company now uses Ethereum for the purpose. The developers also believe they will also be able to rollout Brave Payments to creators. Since all video sites use the same ‘OAuth’ protocol. The rewards program has reportedly signed-up about 300,000 publishers and content creators, including the likes of Wikipedia, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Slate, and the LA Times, with more likely to be added to the list going forward.
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Another major selling point of the Privacy-Focused Brave Browser is that it blocks ads and third-party trackers by default. However, it was a novel concept back in 2016. Most mainstream browsers, such as Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Edge, have since introduced some blocking options. Although users still have to download third-party extensions/add-ons to enable full ad-blocking for the most part.
