Why I Recommend Against Brave

Summary

The Brave browser, founded by Brendan Eich, initially promised privacy and ad-blocking features but has been plagued by controversies. These include Eich's problematic past donations, a plan to replace ads with its own cryptocurrency-based ads, impersonating content creators for donations, injecting referral links for profit, selling search data to AI companies, and compromising Tor security. Despite claiming to prioritize user privacy, Brave has repeatedly made decisions that appear driven by business interests rather than ethics. These controversies call into question whether Brave can be trusted by users seeking genuine privacy protection.

Takeaways

• 😀 Brave Browser was founded by Brendan Eich, the creator of JavaScript, but his controversial history at Mozilla raises concerns about his leadership.
• 😀 Brave promises privacy features, like ad-blocking, VPN, and Tor access, but its track record is filled with ethical and privacy-related issues.
• 😀 In 2016, Brave proposed replacing existing ads with its own cryptocurrency-based ads, drawing legal backlash for its unsustainable plan and 15% cut for itself.
• 😀 In 2018, Brave was accused of using creators' names and images without consent to collect donations in cryptocurrency, leading to transparency concerns.
• 😀 Brave was found injecting referral links into crypto exchanges' URLs in 2020, earning commissions without informing users, violating their trust.
• 😀 Brave introduced sponsored images on its new tab page in 2020, serving ads despite being marketed as an ad-blocking browser, causing user dissatisfaction.
• 😀 In 2021, Brave leaked users' Onion addresses via DNS traffic, compromising the anonymity of Tor users, which is crucial for their security.
• 😀 In 2023, Brave announced it would sell search data to AI companies for training, raising concerns about its commitment to user privacy.
• 😀 Brave removed strict fingerprinting protection in 2024, a critical privacy feature, due to compatibility issues, reducing users' privacy options.
• 😀 Despite marketing itself as privacy-first, Brave's actions suggest a focus on monetizing data through ads and crypto-related services, undermining its promises.

Q & A

What is the Brave browser and what does it promise its users?

The Brave browser is a Chromium-based web browser that promises enhanced privacy through built-in ad-blocking, content-blocking protection, and additional services such as a VPN and Tor integration. It aims to provide a private browsing experience.

Who founded Brave and what is his background?

Brave was founded in 2015 by Brendan Eich, who is famously known as the creator of JavaScript and for his contributions to Mozilla, including overseeing the development of the SpiderMonkey JavaScript engine.

Why did Brendan Eich resign as CEO of Mozilla?

Brendan Eich resigned as CEO of Mozilla in 2014 after a controversy surrounding his donations to anti-LGBTQ+ organizations. This caused significant backlash from Mozilla employees, many of whom were part of the LGBTQ+ community.

What was the controversy surrounding Brave's 'Brave Ads' feature in 2016?

In 2016, Brave introduced a feature called Brave Ads, which would block existing ads and replace them with privacy-friendly ads that Brave injected into websites. This plan was controversial because it involved paying publishers in cryptocurrency, which could be volatile, and Brave took a 15% cut of the revenue.

What issue arose in 2018 involving Brave and Tom Scott?

In 2018, Tom Scott, a content creator, discovered that Brave was collecting donations in cryptocurrency on his behalf without his consent. Brave was using his name and photo to encourage donations to websites, leading to confusion and complaints.

What did Brave do in 2020 that raised ethical concerns?

In 2020, Brave was found to be injecting referral links into URLs of crypto wallets and exchange websites, which allowed Brave to earn money without informing users. This behavior was concerning because users were unknowingly generating revenue for Brave.

What was the reaction to Brave's decision to display sponsored images in 2020?

Brave began displaying sponsored images on the new tab page by default in 2020, which angered users since it contradicted Brave's main selling point of blocking ads. Many users felt that this move was hypocritical and undermined the browser's commitment to privacy.

What security issue did Brave introduce with its Tor functionality in 2021?

In 2021, Brave introduced a feature that leaked onion addresses as part of DNS traffic, exposing users who were using the Tor network for anonymity. This raised serious security concerns as it compromised one of Tor's main privacy functions.

How did Brave's decision to sell search data to AI companies in 2023 affect its reputation?

In 2023, Brave announced that it would sell its search data to AI companies for inference, which led to significant backlash, especially from privacy-conscious users. The decision was viewed as hypocritical, as it went against the browser's promise of protecting user privacy.

What did Brave do in 2024 that caused further privacy concerns?

In 2024, Brave deprecated the option for strict fingerprinting protection, a feature that prevented websites from tracking users with unique identifiers. This decision was controversial because it removed a privacy feature that users had relied on to avoid tracking.