Ads are a fact of life on the internet.
Advertisers want you to see them because your attention gives them a chance to influence your decisions, and ultimately how you spend your money. If you’re like most people, however, you’re typically ignoring, closing, or skipping most advertising.
The truth is, your attention is valuable- so why should you give it away for free?
The Browser
This was the thinking at Brave, a browser designed in direct response to the problems they saw with the current internet model.
Their main goal is user empowerment and trust through transparency and heightened privacy measures (including blocking of data trackers by default). Ironically, this also includes the option to block ads completely.
The Concept
- Users who do chose to allow ads are given a clear incentive: watch them and get compensated through their innovative Brave Rewards program.
- They even make it convenient to engage with the ads by allowing you to customize how and where they appear (think: push notifications).
- Every user who opts in is assigned a unique wallet where they receive monthly payouts for the ads they watch (70% of the ad revenue).
Rewards come in the form of BAT (Basic Attention Tokens), an Etherium technology-based utility token which can be converted into cryptocurrency, USD, EUR, or other fiat currencies through their partnership with the user-friendly multi-asset platform Uphold.
How It Works
- Download Brave
- Enable Brave Rewards either during the Welcome Tour onboarding, or by going to the Rewards Settings either via the Main Menu or the triangular Reward icon
- Make sure Brave Ads is toggled on
- Verify your wallet by linking it to your Uphold account
Once verified, you’re free to withdraw your earnings, or add BAT.
Wait- Why Add Funds?
Another key aspect of Brave’s Reward program is the option to directly support the creators of content you’re consuming regularly online.
Close to 300,000 have registered with Brave, which means they can be “tipped” directly by the people who enjoy what they produce.
- Any portion of the BAT you earn from watching ads can be directed to creators you choose, if and when you decide to do so- even without verifying your wallet.
- If you are verified, you can transfer additional funds into BAT and use those to supplement your ad earnings to show your appreciation for the content you love.
Better Ads
Finally, a word on the ads themselves.
While traditional advertising is dependent on profiling through user data transmission to the cloud (for tracking, sharing, and monetizing by third-parties), Brave’s approach prioritizes privacy by storing data locally to prevent leaks.
Using machine learning and direct access to a user’s locally-stored browsing activity, their ad server is able to match the most relevant advertising from their own catalog to each user- so you may be surprised to find that the ads you’re watching are actually of interest to you.
If getting paid to watch relevant ads isn’t enough for you, Brave has even more to offer. Check out Chrome’s competitor-with-a-conscience and you’ll find more than one reason to make the switch.