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Getting Hands-On with Blockchain: The Brave Browser

February 12, 2019 by Finivi

Is there an easy way to reach out and touch blockchain? If you’re looking to take back control of your privacy and ownership of your personal data online, then the blockchain based Brave browser could give you your first taste of how decentralized, cryptocurrency based platforms can provide real value in our everyday lives.

Brave is on a mission to transform the online experience by making it faster, private and more secure. The key to pulling it off is the combination of a blockchain based web browser and its own digital currency, called the Basic Attention Token (BAT), which provides the engine to this enlightened approach to browsing.

Getting started using the Brave browser is easy, simply visit the Brave Website and follow the installation instructions. If you’re wondering if you should trust Brave, be aware that its creator is Brendan Eich, who’s famed for creating the programming language JavaScript and co-founding Mozilla, which is best known for its Firefox Web browser. Four million people and counting are active Brave users, and the number should only continue to rise (it’s a far cry from Google Chrome’s two billion users, but it’s a start!).

Brave works off a ledger-based system designed to anonymously track the user’s “attention” (more on how that’s measured in a minute), which it then aggregates as a way to accurately reward publishers by paying them in BAT. In addition to measuring your attention, it also blocks unsolicited ads and trackers, cutting down on the clutter that makes Web browsing feel annoying — if not downright invasive — too many people.

Get in the Driver’s Seat

The combination of Brave and BAT are meant to put the user in the driver’s seat. Using the Brave browser puts you behind an anonymity shield where your attention is privately monitored on-device — your private data never leaves your device.

Your attention is rewarded on Brave with BAT tokens, which you can spend on supporting the publishers’ sites that you visit via automatically scheduled distributions or direct tipping. And Brave is introducing additional incentives on top of that: for a limited time, Brave users have automatic three-month access to premium video content from the news Website Cheddar. Other premium products and content will be made obtainable via BAT tokens in the near future.

There are a lot of other high-profile publishers already onboard accepting BAT as distributions or tips from users. These include the Washington Post, The Guardian, Vimeo, MarketWatch, Barron’s, and Vice, among a total of over 8,000 publishers, plus 17,000 more on YouTube, currently participating.

On the other side of the ecosystem, advertisers can purchase advertising space and user attention with BAT tokens, while benefiting from the improved transparency that comes courtesy of the blockchain. The BAT token eliminates third-party traffic sourcing a.k.a. the dreaded “middleman,” which should lead to better targeting of ads (so you only see what you’re actually interested in), reduced ad fraud (that pumps up the number of people who have supposedly seen ads), and better ROI for the advertiser.

In addition to redeeming rewards and services within the platform, BAT tokens can also be withdrawn and exchanged for other cryptocurrencies, as well as integrated into other Web browsers and apps outside of Brave.

Now Pay Attention

The key, of course, to making the whole ecosystem work is the “attention” metric.

Here’s how it works: Attention is measured in real-time as users view ads, which they have opted in to, and content in the Brave browser’s active tab. From there, the “Attention Value” for the ad is calculated based on incremental duration and pixels in view in proportion to relevant content (an article or video), before a user’s direct engagement with the ad.

From there, ads will be anonymously matched with customer interests using local machine learning algorithms. In theory, this leads to people being subjected to fewer irrelevant ads.

Brave calls durable user attention “the key driver of Internet content.” Another way of describing what they Brave and BAT are enabling is a “pay-to-surf” model, monetizing people’s attention via an opt-in advertising system for in-browser and mobile app Web views that is secure and anonymous.

It’s worth noting that Brave hopes not to just create a superior browsing experience for users, but also a better world for the other key stakeholders in the system: publishers/content providers, and digital advertisers. By cutting out the shenanigans and inefficiencies that can drag down the online experience, things could improve for everyone. According to statistics compiled by Brave, the negative effects of bad digital advertising practices include an increased sense of privacy loss by users, a 66% drop in publisher revenue since 2008, and a decreased ability of advertisers to gauge effectiveness.

The effects are felt further from there. Brave estimates that the downloading of ads and trackers into mobile devices can equal up to an eye-popping 50% of the average user’s data plan per month, significantly increase mobile load times, and decrease phone battery life by as much as 21%.

And then there’s the even more troublesome highly personalized “digital shadow” that third-party trackers such as cookies, Web beacons, and pixel tags create, which can reveal far more than what kind of shoes people want to buy next. Companies might tap a person’s online profile to make critical determinations about a job application, credit worthiness, or health insurance rates.

Valor and Value

You don’t have to be too courageous to try Brave. Installation proved extremely easy for this author, and it feels good to reward registered publishers with BAT tokens, which can either be earned with your attention or by depositing fiat currency or select cryptocurrencies into the Brave wallet that’s created along with your browser. Plus, installing Brave doesn’t crowd your favorite browser that you’re currently using, like Chrome or Firefox, out of your device – you can switch between them whenever you like.

For those in search of blockchain experiences that they can truly use, the Brave browser offers a tangible way to get involved. Try Brave, and the token economy that’s enabled by blockchain just may feel like its closer to home.


The information in this article is for informational and educational purposes only. None of the information contained herein should be considered investment advice, nor does BlockSocial.com endorse any entity, project, token or cryptocurrency that may be mentioned or linked to in this article.  Investing in ICOs, cryptocurrencies or tokens is highly speculative, and the market is largely unregulated. Anyone considering it should be prepared to lose their entire investment.

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Eric C. Jansen, ChFC

Fun Facts About Me

When he is not researching the next great stock to add to client portfolios, you can find him travelling frequently with his family to Jackson Hole Wyoming.

  • Hometown: Chicago, IL
  • Birth Month & Year: November, 1964
  • Favorite Hobby: Goldmining in Nome, AK
  • Favorite Food: Steak at Charley’s Steakhouse in Orlando FL
  • Can't be interrupted when: Watching the Discovery Channel
  • Hidden Talent: Finish Carpenter
  • Something on bucket list: Obtain Helicopter Pilot License
  • Family Pet: Goldfish

Steven C. Johnson, ChFC

Fun Facts About Me

Steve would tell you that one of the best parts of the day is spent talking to clients and relationships that result from it. When away from the office, he loves to travel the back roads of New England enjoying all the great sites that can be found off the beaten path.

  • Hometown: Townsend, MA
  • Birth Month & Year: December, 1967
  • Favorite Hobby: Playing Hockey
  • Favorite Food: Chicken Caesar Salad
  • Can't be interrupted when: Watching the Bruins
  • Hidden Talent: Cooking – Makes a great Thanksgiving turkey
  • Something on bucket list: Travel to Italy and Greece
  • Family Pet: Max – our Pomeranian

Frederick M. Lane, ChFC, CASL

Fun Facts About Me

When not managing client portfolios, Fred can be found relaxing with family and friends.

  • Hometown: Nutley, NJ
  • Birth Month & Year: July, 1954
  • Favorite Hobby: Dog Walking
  • Favorite Food: Italian
  • Can't be interrupted when: Listening to Pink Floyd
  • Hidden Talent: Landscaping
  • Something on bucket list: Space Flight - Tourism
  • Family Pet: None

Catherine M. Gareri

Fun Facts About Me

When not caring for her clients Cathy enjoys relaxing in her yard at home.

  • Hometown: Bellingham, MA
  • Birth Month & Year: July, 1957
  • Favorite Hobby: Cooking and Entertaining
  • Favorite Food: Steak at the Capital Grille
  • Can't be interrupted when: It's family time
  • Hidden Talent: Dog Whisperer
  • Something on bucket list: Spending a couple months on the Almalfi Coast
  • Family Pet: In Between Mastiffs now so a little blue fish “Willy”

Katie E. Moore, CLTC

Fun Facts About Me

When Katie is not busy taking care of her clients, she spends her time being a mom to her two little ones, Owen and Isla.

  • Hometown: Modesto, CA
  • Birth Month & Year: September, 1982
  • Favorite Hobby: Swimming
  • Favorite Food: Mexican Food
  • Can't be interrupted when: I'm cooking
  • Hidden Talent: Climbed Yosemite's Half Dome, twice - no fear :)
  • Something on bucket list: See the Northern Lights and Potty Train my 2 year old
  • Family Pet: Caddy and Sierra – our two cats

Hesper Duval

Fun Facts About Me

Loves spending time with 2 daughters and enjoys participating in 5k obstacle races throughout the year.

  • Hometown: Charlton, MA
  • Birth Month & Year: October, 1981
  • Favorite Hobby: Running
  • Favorite Food: Cheesecake
  • Can't be interrupted when: Reading a good book
  • Hidden Talent: Interior Design and furniture restoration
  • Something on bucket list: To travel cross-country in an RV
  • Family Pet: Charlie and Nora, both black labs from the same litter

Donna Fournier

Fun Facts About Me

When not cheering for the Patriots, Donna spends her free time travelling throughout the United States looking for new haunted places to explore. She loves to wear her cowboy hat and boots when travelling out west.

  • Hometown: Swansea, MA
  • Birth Month & Year: February, 1961
  • Favorite Hobby: Exploring haunted locations
  • Favorite Food: Pizza
  • Can't be interrupted when: Eating my pizza
  • Hidden Talent: Rollerblading
  • Something on bucket list: Travel to Australia
  • Family Pet:  Had a pet skunk

Danielle Drew

When Danielle does not have her head in a book studying to expanding her financial planning knowledge, she enjoys anything active and outdoors, including visits to the beach and hiking.  

  • Hometown: Dennis, MA
  • Birth Month & Year: November, 1985
  • Favorite Hobby: Working out, concerts, and exploring wineries
  • Favorite Food: Lobster pot pie, cheeseburgers, BBQ, the list goes on...
  • Can't be interrupted when: Working out 
  • Hidden Talent: Country line dancing
  • Something on bucket list: To hike the 48, 4000 footers of New Hampshire
  • Family Pet: none, hopefully a big dog someday

Jay Willwerth, ChFC

Fun Facts About Me

Jay’s days are spent helping clients achieve their financial goals, followed by nights and weekends typically watching his daughters play competitive volleyball.

  • Hometown: Melrose, MA
  • Birth Month & Year: September, 1959
  • Favorite Hobby: Golf
  • Favorite Food: Anything at a Patriot’s Tailgate
  • Can't be interrupted when: Watching the Patriot’s Game
  • Hidden Talent: Competitive Volleyball Watcher (Mostly his 2 daughters)
  • Something on bucket list: Play a round of Golf at Pebble Beach
  • Family Pet: Bella, our Shih-poo
 

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