Brave is my browser of choice and I have used it now for a couple of years. I used to write about it frequently, but I have neglected constantly explaining why I think it is until I read the news I will describe shortly. For the uninitiated, Brave is based on nearly the same basic code as Chrome which means it can run the same extensions. What makes Brave my choice is the system it provides for compensating content creators while maintaining security against cookies. I object to ad blockers because while they provide protection of personal data collection, view traditional ads also provide a way to compensate those who provide online content and the services we all use online. Simply put, it seems unethical to block ads while taking advantage of the work and creativity of others.
Brave does offer an option for viewing ads, but the selection is not based on personal data sent back to an ad company.
This article from TechCrunch indicates that Brave is having revenue problems and is laying off 9% of its workforce. I admit this situation does not surprise me. The ads I see are nearly all related to cryptocurrencies and security products and services. I consider these niche markets and not the type of information likely to interest most users. My guess is that Brave is struggling to attract the type of advertisers that would be making use of Google ad services. This almost seems a classic chicken and egg problem. If Brave is not regarded as a productive advertising environment, it will not attract ad money. If Brave cannot attract ad money, it will not be displaying ads a large proportion of Internet users would click.
I am not immediately impacted because Brave works just fine. It is just the company’s financial situation that concerns me. Give Brave a try, it works great and provides an approach I believe provides an ethical compromise between personal security and the legitimate needs of content and service providers.