Brendan Eich talks about the brave browser. In addition, it touches other issues such as privacy on the web, how to finance the creators of content and the unequal way in which the sanctions on GPRD are applied.
It is an important voice. Eich was the creator of Javascript, one of the languages most used to make the web interactive and, as the author of the interview clarifies with some malice, to show invasive ads, consume system resources, exhaust the battery, heat the device and inject malware
Eich also was a co-founder of the Mozilla Foundation, which he resigned after a boycott campaign that he suffered for supporting the undue faction in a plebiscite. Mozilla never recovered from his departure, but the politically correct fundamentalists were happy.
Compatibility with Chrome
The journalist begins by asking about what is needed for Brave to be a complete alternative to Chrome. Eich cites two aspects; synchronization using Google accounts and streaming content to other devices using Chromecast. With respect to the first, there is no solution. Activating Google accounts means allowing tracking. This means that Brave can only use extensions that do not involve its use.
Chromecast support is disabled in the Chromium code base, so the Brave developers are working to get it.
Privacy
Brendan does not believe that users privilege comfort to the detriment of privacy in important situations. He uses Snapchat’s penetration and his disposable messages among young people as an example. He points out that now the most important messaging applications are encrypted and the anger with Facebook over the leaks.
On the other hand, it points out the unequal application of the sanctions for the violation of the GDPR. He says that only the smallest rapists were fined, although he believes that Google and Facebook will eventually receive them. In this sense, it draws attention to Internet advertising systems claiming that they allow access to sensitive data on personal or embarrassing searches.
What types of people use Brave?
The article mentions that a large part of the 6 million users joined last year and that Eich plans to reach ten million by mid-2019. The interviewee believes that the main base are people interested in the technology that they were bringing to their families. who are not interested in the benefits of Chrome without their privacy problems.
Ads and rewards
The bulk of the story is taken by the reward system for publishers and users that Brave is working on. Which is inevitable because that’s what distinguishes it from other Chrome-based browsers.
Eich account that is working on a system of contextual ads similar to the one shown by the Google search results, with the difference that the determination of which ads are more relevant will be done locally. No data is sent to the Brave servers or advertisers. The relevance will be based on the browsing history of each user.
What about percentage?
The proceeds from advertising will go to 70% to content creators, 15% to users who agree to see ads and another 15% to finance the development of the browser.
For the transactions, a token system based on Ethereum is used. The so-called Basic Atention Tokens or BAT. The report does not say it, but the BAT can be transformed into legal tender by linking the account to the Uphold payment service.
Eich says it was easier to convince users (who ultimately get a faster browser without ads) than publishers and advertisers) These, because they are not specialists, they make a noise browser that blocks the ads pord effect.
Also published on Medium.