The Brave browser has a proposal: it natively blocks ads, but allows the user to pay for additional content on the sites through a basic attention token or BAT. In recent months, Brave has been distributing these tokens in promotions, to a limited extent. But according to CNET, all users will receive coins for free until June – just have the browser installed. “We are getting to the point where we will give BAT to users all the time. We do not think it will end. We believe users should get it,” said CEO Brendan Eich. Last year, Eich was able to raise the equivalent of $35 million to fund this token. Each BAT is currently worth about $0.40. In the future, you’ll only receive tokens by viewing ads. In the second quarter, sites will be able to display advertisements through Brave and will collect 70% of revenue, while 15% will go to users. The rest stays with the company.
Some major sites have joined Brave, including the Washington Post, the Guardian and the Dow Jones Media Group, which operates MarketWatch and Barron’s. This week, new users received a free two-year subscription to Dow Jones sites. With BAT, you can purchase premium content, such as news articles that are locked onto a paywall. It is also possible to support YouTubers and streamers in Twitch, which can convert the token into cash after being verified. It’s an idea similar to Flattr, but involving crypto-coins this time around. Brave has 2 million monthly active users, meaning they have opened the browser at least once in the last month. So, what do you think about this? Simply share all your views and thoughts in the comment section below.
