Brave browser is gaining on Google Chrome. The relative newcomer, which added a million new users in March, now counts podcast host Joe Rogan among its base.
Rogan joins a legion of users who say that the privacy-focused browser is doing a lot more to protect user data than Google, which tracks web browsing habits and leverages the information to customize ads and increase revenue.
In an interview with beatboxer, musician, comedian and actor Reggie Watts, Rogan talked about how he gets spooked by having ads follow him around the internet based on his browsing history.
“There’s so much value in knowing what you’re up to – knowing where you’re going, what you’re buying, what you’re saying…
If you want to use Instagram or if you want to use Facebook, you’re getting tracked.”
Instead of the traditional ad tech model that transmits a user’s private data to advertisers, often without consent, Brave protects personal data and keeps it private, while users get rewarded in cryptocurrency for browsing sites. It effectively combines its web browser with a blockchain-
According to Brave,
“Once a month, Brave Rewards will send the corresponding amount of BAT (Basic Attention Token), divided up based on your attention, from your local browser-based wallet to the sites you’ve visited. You can remove sites you don’t want to support, and tip creators directly too.
All of this is anonymous: nobody (not even us here at Brave) can see who supported which sites. We can only count up the total support for each site and send the BAT their way.”
By eliminating ad trackers, Brave says its web browsing technology is three to six times faster than its competitors.
The open-source internet browser also allows content creators to convert their BAT to fiat through a partnership with the crypto trading platform Uphold.
Brave has now surpassed 15 million monthly active users and five million daily active users, growing 50% since launching its 1.0 version last November.