[tommit]

I agree with your comment. I'm continuously surprised at how much hate Brave gets from HN. It's a decent browser with a unique and novel way to try to deal with the current adpocalypse. If anything, they should be celebrated for actually trying out a new business model. Come to think of it though, the comment sums up HN perfectly, ending with `deeply involved the incredibly shade business of cryptocurrencies`.

I've been using Brave for about a year now and am really happy with it. I love paying creators directly and just wish more creators would sign up for the rewards.

[thefreeman]

I think it's really the idea of blocking a websites ads AND replacing them with your own that turns so many people against it. It just feels..... wrong. Way more like stealing from content creators than just blocking ads in the first place. That combined with what feels like a cash grab with their cryptocurrency likely immediately turns a lot of people off.

ps. I know, I know. Brave's ads are unobtrusive, they don't track you, they donate crypto to the sites, etc. etc. It doesn't change the underlying emotional response a lot of people seem to have to their business model.

[jonathansampson]

Replacing ads with our own would indeed be pretty bad; but we don't do that. I think the underlying emotional response you're seeing (which does exist with some) is based on what others say Brave is doing, rather than what Brave is actually doing. Help us correct the misinformation

The blocking of ads and trackers has been taking place for years; long before Brave came along (in it was happening when Netscape released the NPAPI back in the mid-90s).

Content Creators and Publishers, who make the Web enjoyable for us, rely on third-party advertising models which engage in data-harvesting and attention-auctioning without explicit user consent.

Brave helps protect users from harmful ads and trackers (which not only harvest data, but deliver malicious bits in return), while offering a model whereby users can anonymously support publishers by way of privacy-respecting ads.

Brave Ads are matched on-device, using local access to data. When you view an ad, 70% of the associated revenue is sent to your cryptographically-secured wallet. As you browse the Web, verified content creators can receive support (either actively or passively) from those rewards.

Users are safe. Creators are supported. That's Brave.

[mthoms]

They don't replace ads. Brave allows you to block ads (just like any ad-blocker). Separately, you can opt-in to see Brave ads via system notifications.

Accusations of stealing are pretty foul. Please can we keep the discussion focused on the facts?

[ketamine__]

> I think it's really the idea of blocking a websites ads AND replacing them with your own that turns so many people against it. It just feels..... wrong.

Brave doesn't do this so that's a plus.