On 28 May 2015, CEO Brendan Eich and CTO Brian Bondy founded Brave Software.[4]
On 20 January 2016, Brave Software launched the first version of Brave with ad-blocking capabilities and announced plans for an ad platform that uses "browser-side anonymous targeting".[5]
The same week, it was revealed that Brave Software had purchased Android web browser Link Bubble (developed by Chris Lacy, who also developed launcherAction Launcher) and rebranded it as Brave.[6][7][8]
Brave is a privacy-focused browser, which automatically blocks most advertisements and website trackers in its default settings.
History
In June 2018, Brave released a pay-to-surf test-version of the browser.
This version of Brave came preloaded with approximately 250 ads and sent a detailed log of the user's browsing activity to Brave for the short-term purpose of testing this functionality. Brave announced that expanded trials would follow.[9]
Until December 2018, Brave ran on a fork of Electron called Muon, which they marketed as a "more secure fork".
Nevertheless, Brave developers moved to Chromium, citing a need to ease their maintenance burden.[10]
Brave Software released the final Muon-based version with the intention that users would update to a newer version as its end-of-life approached.[11]
Brave Talk[22] is a browser-based video conferencing tool based on Jitsi integrated into Brave in September 2021[23] with both free and paid tiers.[24]
Brave News
In December 2020, Brave integrated a personalized news reader focused on user privacy into the browser.[25]
As of June 2021, the news feed also includes promoted articles based upon the Brave ads platform.[26]
Brave Playlist
An iOS feature that lets users create playlists of audio and video media sources and play them offline.[27]
Privacy
To prevent browser fingerprinting, Brave uses fingerprint randomization,[28] which makes the browser look different to websites over browser restart.
In June 2019, Brave started testing a new ad-blocking rule-matching algorithm implemented in Rust, replacing the previous C++ one. The uBlock Origin and Ghostery algorithms inspired the new logic, which Brave claims to be on average 69 times faster than the previous algorithm.[29]
Brave Shields
Brave Shields is an engine inspired by uBlock Origin[30] and others, which blocks third-party ads and trackers[31] in a similar fashion to other extension-based ad blockers. The advertisement blocking features are enabled by default.[31]
Users are given control to adjust ad blocking, script and cookies settings in the Shields and Privacy section of the browser.[32]
As well as ads and cookie-based trackers, Brave shields also protect against fingerprint tracking using a technique it calls "farbling", allowing each browser session to appear unique.[33][34]
Tor windows
Since June 2018, Brave offers Tor, .onion and Tor bridges support in its desktop version.[35]
Users can switch to Tor-enabled browsing by clicking on the hamburger menu in the top-right corner of the browser.[36]
Debouncing
On 15 October 2021, Brave announced a new privacy feature dubbed "debouncing".
The new feature is designed to disarm bounce tracking, a method of Internet tracking through intermediary domains that load when users click on a link.
Debouncing will automatically recognize when users are about to visit a known tracking domain and renavigates the user to their intended destination, skipping the tracking site altogether.[37][38]
De-AMP feature
In April 2022, Brave announced a de-AMP feature that bypasses Google's AMP system, directing the user straight to the original website instead.
The company cited this as a privacy feature, calling AMP "harmful to users and to the Web at large". When this feature is activated, Yandex Turbo Pages, which are similar to AMP pages, are also bypassed.[39][40][41]
Other integrations
SugarCoat
A tool integrated in Brave since the fourth quarter of 2021 that automatically replaces tracking libraries with a spoofed, privacy-preserving replacement to increase site compatibility with adblocking scripts.[42][43]
As of March 2021, Brave supports decentralized domains, namely the ones provided by Unstoppable Domains (.crypto etc.) and Ethereum Name Services (ENS).[45]
In February 2020, the Wayback Machine was integrated into the browser. Upon hitting an HTTP 404 error, among other error codes, the Wayback Machine is automatically queried to display a cached version of the page.[46]
Business model
The Brave browser's business model is based on its share of ad revenue.
Unlike other browsers that only display websites, Brave earns revenue from ads by taking a 15% cut of publisher ads and a 30% cut of user ads.
Brave expects to generate revenue from selling Basic Attention Tokens (BATs) to advertisers, letting users earn them while viewing ads and content.[47][48]
Revenue
Brave keeps financial reserves in the form of BATs for itself, with 200 million BATs (valued at $240 million) kept for building its blockchain-based digital advertising system and 300 million BATs allocated as seed for browser users' wallets as of 2021[update].[47]
The "Basic Attention Token" (BAT) is a cryptocurrency token based on Ethereum, created for use in an open-source, decentralizedad exchange platform and as a cryptocurrency [53] based on the ERC-20 standard.
In an initial coin offering on 31 May 2017, Brave sold one billion BAT for a total of 156,250 Ethereum ($35 million) in less than 30 seconds.[53][54]
An additional 500 million BAT was retained by the company to be used to promote the adoption of the platform.[53]
In early December 2017, the company disbursed the first round of its "user growth pool" grants: a total of 300,000 BAT was distributed to new users on a first-come, first-served basis.[55][56]
Brave Rewards
The first version of the micropayments feature was launched in 2016 under the name "Brave Payments" and used Bitcoin.[57]
Since April 2019, Brave browser users can opt in to the Brave Rewards feature earning the Basic Attention Tokens (BAT) as a cryptocurrency or to make donations to registered websites and content creators.[47][58][59]
Users may choose to tip their earned BAT micropayments to websites and content creators (as tips) within the ecosystem[60] or withdraw their BAT to a verified Gemini or Uphold wallet.[61][62][63][64]
In March 2021, BAT became available on the Binance Smart Chain in the form of wrapped BAT.[65][66] These tokens are wrapped by Binance and the original BAT is held in "Token Vaults" with Binance.[67]
Brave Wallet
Brave Wallet is a native crypto wallet with no extensions required.
It supports all EVM-compatible chains (Polygon, xDai, Avalanche, etc.) and L2 chains.
Desktop edition supports also hardware wallets such as Ledger and Trezor, while mobile support is planned.[68][69][70]
Brave Swap
Brave Swap is an aggregator for cryptocurrency DEX's based on 0x[71] letting users swap Ethereum tokens for other tokens from within the browser.
Brave makes money off this by taking a small "router" fee with plans to return 20% of this fee to the user in the form of BAT tokens.[72][73]
Usage
In December 2018, Brave partnered with HTC to make Brave Browser the default browser on the HTC Exodus 1.[74]
Brave launched its stable release, version 1.0, on 13 November 2019, while having 8.7 million monthly active users overall.[75]
At the time, it had approximately 3 million active users on a daily basis. Brave 1.0, running on Android, iOS, Windows 10, macOS, or Linux, integrated "almost all of Brave's marquee features across all platforms", according to Engadget.[76]
In November 2020, Brave reported having 20 million monthly users.[77]
In September 2021, it passed 36 million monthly active users.[80]
As of December 2024,[update] Brave reported more than 77.3 million monthly active users, 32.1 million daily active users and a network of more than 1.8 million content creators.[81]
Reception
Reviews of Brave praised the browser's speed, privacy aspects and built-in ad blocking,[82][83][84][85] as well as potential reduced battery usage.[86]
According to the website PrivacyTests.org, Brave, along with Librewolf and Tor Browser, had the most privacy protection compared to other browsers.[87][88]
A 2021 research study analyzing the data reported by browsers to their back-end servers by Douglas J. Leith of the University of Dublin reported that Brave had the highest level of privacy of the five browsers tested.[89]
Brave has received negative press for diverting ad revenue from websites to itself,[91] collecting unsolicited donations for content creators without their consent,[92] suggesting affiliate links in the address bar[93] and installing a paid VPN service without the user's consent.[94]
On its business model
Brave Rewards
In January 2016, in reaction to Brave Software's initial announcement, Sebastian Anthony of Ars Technica described Brave as a "cash-grab" and a "double dip".
"should be viewed as illegal and deceptive by the courts, consumers, and those who value the creation of content".
Relationship with content creators
In December 2018, British YouTube content creator Tom Scott said that he had not received any donations collected on his behalf by Brave.[99][92]
Two days after the complaint, Brave issued an update to "clearly indicate which publishers and creators have not yet joined Brave Rewards so users can better control how they donate and tip".[100]
In January 2020, Brave issued another update to change the behavior of unclaimed tips. They are now held in the browser and transferred if the creator signs up within 90 days; otherwise, they are returned to the user.[101][102]
Further research revealed that Brave also added referral codes to the URLs of other cryptocurrency exchange websites.
In response to the backlash from the users, Brave's CEO apologized and called it a "mistake" and said "we're correcting". He remarked that Brave seeks affiliate revenue while trying to build a viable business, adding that:[93][105]
"This includes bringing new users to Binance & other exchanges via opt-in trading widgets/other UX that preserves privacy prior to opt-in. It includes search revenue deals, as all major browsers do."
Two days later, Brave released a new version which they said made auto-completion to partner links opt-in,[106] followed by a blog post explaining the issue and apologizing.[107][108]
Forced VPN installation
In October 2023, reports emerged that Brave Browser was installing its $9.99 VPN service on Windows machines without the user's consent.[94]
The developer later announced it intends to reverse its decision, promising to not install the VPN unless enabled or purchased by the user.[109]
On the browser
Bug in Tor browsing mode
One privacy issue appeared via a private disclosure on Brave's HackerOnebug bounty platform on 12 January 2021.
The disclosure reported that Brave was sending DNS requests to the ISP of the users instead of routing it through the Tor network, thus allowing ISPs to have knowledge of a user's browsing sessions.[110][111]
Brave fixed the issue in its Nightly channel soon after it was initially reported. Once the bug received public attention in mid-February from Twitter users verifying the vulnerability, the fix was soon uplifted to the Stable channel and landed in Brave 1.20.110.[112]
Fingerprinting measures in the browser
In 2023, researchers demonstrated bypassing of anti-fingerprinting protection in Brave and called for implementation of more robust countermeasures.[113]
^Bondy, Brian (13 November 2019). "The road to Brave 1.0". Brave Press. Archived from the original on 19 November 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019. It took another few months to get initial funding, but in May 2015 we started this ambitious project.
.svg){kind=logo}
_Logo.svg){kind=logo}
