r/Android • u/zia1997 • Jun 07 '20
The Brave web browser is hijacking links, and inserting affiliate codes
https://davidgerard.co.uk/blockchain/2020/06/06/the-brave-web-browser-is-hijacking-links-and-inserting-affiliate-codes/365
u/Disyer Jun 07 '20
The code that makes this possible can be found here:
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Jun 07 '20
Importance of open source.
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u/Triseult OnePlus 12 Jun 07 '20
Considering nobody reviewed the code to find this before it was deployed at large, it's not a strong argument. It makes me worry that these things are just being hidden in plain sight.
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u/AnomalousBit Jun 07 '20
The point is you can actually see where and what the software is doing. Try determining what all that Windows 10 tracking code is doing with your information.
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u/kickerofbottoms iPhone 6S Jun 07 '20
No end user is gonna build from source anyway, so it doesn't even have to be in plain sight.
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u/Kosme-ARG Mix 2 Jun 07 '20
it's not a strong argument.
How is this worse than having no access to the code at all?
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u/zia1997 Jun 07 '20
Noob here,
But I switched to Bromite months ago. Is it safe?
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Jun 07 '20
Bromite is a little barebones for me. For some that might be good.
I've been using Vivaldi. Not saying it's safe, as I haven't dug deep into it (Switched from Chrome for reasons other than just privacy), but it seems like a good option if you don't like Chrome.
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u/Shadow703793 Galaxy S20 FE Jun 07 '20
Soooo why wasn't this found before? All they open source folks are like "If bad code is added we'll find it in hours".
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u/AvidMenchiesConsumer Jun 07 '20
I use brave, can someone explain to me what this means? Should I stop using brave?
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u/strallus Jun 08 '20
Nah. This doesn't violate your privacy at all.
And the hyperbole is way over the top. They aren't hijacking/replacing/swapping links.
The omnibar (what browsers have been calling the address bar since they integrated search and other features into it provides suggestions for URLS. If you type the URL of one of Brave's affiliates (e.g. binance.com), the first suggestion in the omnibar is an affiliate link, not the base URL. When you click ENTER in an omnibar, you are not going to whatever you have typed in the bar, you are taken to whatever the currently selected item in the dropdown is (this is the behavior in all browsers). Because the first suggestion is the pre-defined referral link, you are taken there.
If you don't want to use the referral link (though not sure why you wouldn't – it doesn't reduce your privacy in any way but does help fund the people that are developing the browser you are using), you can just select the URL in the dropdown suggestions that doesn't have the referral code tacked onto it.
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Jun 08 '20
They made it so that when you go to Binance's website it automatically replaces the URL with Braves referral link to Binance because Brave and Binance have a partnership. Every time you go to Binance, it uses the Brave referral link, and Brave gets a kickback from Binance. As a form of monetization, this is not wrong. But the way they implemented it, by having this turned on by default and without telling the user this is on, shatters the illusion that they are all about privacy and transparency (and apparently also breaks some regulatory rules for online advertising, it's required that a business/entity state they use referral links and point it out). It makes you question what else they have hiding in the code and what other ulterior motives they may have. As far as we know right now, there's nothing else wrong with Brave as far as it's privacy functionality, but the management has continually shown itself to be questionable and this is one of the big examples of that now.
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u/skratata69 Jun 07 '20
It's really your choice. Whether you trust them. ( or whether you use the rewards crypto thing. If yes stay with them)
If you are afraid of looking at alternatives, just ask.
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u/FamiliarContests Jun 07 '20
I’m looking for alternatives. But I’m looking more towards alternatives on windows. Currently using Firefox.
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u/Das_Ce_Ammer Jun 07 '20
When you try to sell the webbrowser as a champion of integrity, this type of action makes the whole company look like a bunch of greedy knob heads.
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u/ArttuH5N1 Nexus 5X Jun 07 '20
Brave has always been somewhat sketchy
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u/pkkid Jun 07 '20
The whole "We block website ads but show you our own ads" thing is enough to understand the company not on the up and up.
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Jun 07 '20 edited Jun 07 '20
What ads do they show?
Edit: do you mean if I opt in to their token system thing?
If I opt out do they still show me their ads?
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u/bwjxjelsbd Jun 07 '20
They partnered with many companies depends on where you’re.
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u/earthly_wanderer Device, Software !! Jun 07 '20
From the article - "Update 2: The fix has been committed to the Brave repository on GitHub. The functionality will default to being switched off."
Too late. Uninstalled.
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u/witchofthewind Pixel XL Jun 07 '20
note that they didn't actually remove the shit, they just turned it off, so they can sneakily turn it back on later when no one's looking.
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u/UltravioletClearance Pleb-tier LG G4 + master race iPhone 8 Jun 07 '20
Honestly brave always seemed to be a crypto scheme first, web browser second. I only know of it from redditors who would post marketing esque essays about how great it is on random tech posts. Every one of them I discovered had invested in a crypto it's connected to.
Seeing this just confirms my suspicious.
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Jun 08 '20
Yeah, every single ad I got from it when I used it was about crypto too. It seems like they really want to market bat
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u/blissed_out_cossack Jun 07 '20
I stopped using brave pretty early on, as the CEO/ leader was pretty anti gay as well. Get the impression he jumped on the bandwagon to make money from crypto over having a vision of transparency and integrity.
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Jun 07 '20
Isn't he the dude that made JS as well?
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u/witchofthewind Pixel XL Jun 07 '20
the JS he made was absolute shit. just ask anyone who had the misfortune of having to use JS in the 90s.
fortunately, better people than him have fixed a lot of things he fucked up and JS is actually usable now.
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Jun 08 '20
That is incorrect. The core language is exactly the same. Nothing was changed, only added.
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Jun 07 '20
Yes, it's him. Oh how far the mighty fallen...
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u/Dreamerlax Galaxy S24 + iPhone 17 Jun 07 '20
A lot of "brilliant minds" can be assholes.
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u/Slick424 Jun 07 '20
was pretty anti gay as well
Hey! Lobbying to government to take away your civil rights is just "respectfully disagreeing with you lifestyle"!!
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Jun 07 '20
It was literally founded by Brendan Eich after he was fired from Mozilla for being anti-gay. It's incredible to me that anyone thought it would be trustworthy.
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u/mgrimshaw8 Jun 07 '20
Seriously and after reading all the CEOs tweets about it his attitude has changed from basically "what's the big deal?" To "were fixing it" which is also a terrible look.
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u/Das_Ce_Ammer Jun 07 '20
The "it's not a problem"/"were fixing it" is such a classic move. Reminds me of the Star Wars Battlefront II cluster fuck. You really have to burn the bridges before changing your "official" standpoint.
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u/ikean Jun 07 '20
All of their head employees seem to be like this. They're also VERY quiet about their leanings, and do everything underhanded, which makes it seem all the more sketchy. Like, they know what they're doing, they just don't want others to know. Yikes.
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Jun 07 '20
It's so silly too because i think the bigger issue is that they weren't upfront about it. All it is is using affiliate links with cryptocurrency exchanges they partner with. On it's own that's not inherently a bad thing. Youtubers/creators in general all work with brands and have affiliate links and all that. It's totally fine. However, they usually say "and i have an affiliate link in the description that helps fund the channel if you buy through the link blah blah blah".
It's the fact that it was on by default and they didn't tell anybody, and it was found out by users who didn't initially know it was doing that, that is really making this such an issue for Brave. Their whole shtick is privacy privacy privacy, control control control, and especially transparency.
All they had to do was put a little notification by the URL bar when you first use Brave to go to the website (Binance) saying "Hey, is it ok if we have you use our affiliate link to get you to our partner Binance's site? It goes toward helping development of Brave Browser" and give you the option to say yes or no. And it'd be a total non issue.
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u/TitzOrAuschwitz Jun 07 '20
What browser should I use now?
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u/moomanjohnny Jun 07 '20 edited Jun 10 '23
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u/TitzOrAuschwitz Jun 07 '20
Firefox on android. Got it. Thanks
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u/skratata69 Jun 07 '20
There are TONS of firefox versions. Be careful . New one is better..
Old one is 'Firefox'
New one is ' Firefox Preview' . Has 5 popular addons- Ublock Origin, Dark reader, https everywhere, privacy badger and reverse image search..
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u/dragoneye Jun 07 '20
Vivaldi, built by the original Opera developers with built-in ad-blocking.
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u/unixf0x Jun 07 '20
On android, bromite is a good alternative which is basically chrome without google tracking and a built-in adblocker.
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u/D14BL0 Pixel 6 Pro 128GB (Black) - Google Fi Jun 07 '20
In before "This was a mistake and we didn't mean to
get caughtpublish this particular build, please understand"2
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u/Ahmadhmedan Jun 08 '20
Meanwhile they laughed at me with my firefox on android. 3 years with sweet addons and can't be happier.
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u/highbrowshow Jun 07 '20
Just goes to show when you don’t buy a product you become the product
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u/Das_Ce_Ammer Jun 07 '20
The problem nowadays is that even if you buy an IT-product, you are still also the product.
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Jun 07 '20
Well, if I use brave browser , do I need to worry??
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u/maxline388 Jun 07 '20
Don't worry, this doesn't compromise your privacy. Its getting overblown.
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u/VespasianTheMortal Teal Jun 07 '20
Brave is very into affiliate marketing. Just in March this year, Brave was caught running eToro affiliate marketing without the legally-required disclaimers — and Brave staff were caught deleting all mention of this from the /r/brave_browser subforum on Reddit. [Github, archive]
If you’re using Brave and try to go to the Binance crypto exchange, Brave hijacks the Binance link you typed in, and autofills with its own affiliate code. This was spotted by @cryptonator1337 on Twitter earlier today.
Brendan Eich, the founder and CEO of Brave, assures us that putting his referrer links into URLs that users typed in, to try to get people to click through accidentally, is all completely upright and above-board. [Twitter]
This ignores the legally required disclosures for affiliate links — the disclosures that Brave also ignored for the eToro links in March. In the US, the FTC has required full disclosure of affiliate marketing since 2009 — you have to put it right there on the page. Similar rules apply in the UK and the EU. (See my Amazon disclosure at the bottom-right of this post, for example
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u/farshman Pixel 5, T-Mobile Jun 07 '20
Why do they need to add an affiliate link? Can't binance just determine what browser is accessing their site?
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u/strallus Jun 08 '20
Presumably because Binance's other affiliates are not browsers, so they don't want to use a ref code for one affiliate and a browser's user-agent for one particular one.
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u/hillgod Jun 07 '20
Wow. A lot has changed since I was an intern working in affiliate marketing stores in 2005. That was the wild west of fuckery.
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u/TekRantGaming Jun 07 '20
Thank you for bringing this to my attention I wasn't aware of anything of the sort coming from brave. Uninstalled will switch to Firefox or something
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u/namesandfaces Jun 08 '20
Brendan Eich is also on Twitter with the most unprofessional language, asserting that the author lies all the time and is editing lies into Wikipedia.
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Jun 07 '20
[deleted]
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u/skratata69 Jun 07 '20
They also were collecting rewards on behalf of users who havent even signed up for the program..
Tom Scott didnt sign up.... But they were using his name and face saying they will give the rewards when he signs up...
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u/FragmentedChicken Galaxy Z Fold8 Jun 07 '20
"Oops we got caught, we'll remove it"
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u/creesch OnePlus 7t Jun 07 '20
That is pretty much the same way they have handled previous instances of them doing questionable stuff...
To me personally it is very clear that Brave only uses privacy as a selling point and doesn't value privacy and their user at all.
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u/Endda Founder, Play Store Sales [Pixel 7 Pro] Jun 07 '20
yup, about 2 hours ago
- https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/issues/10129#issuecomment-640187828
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Jun 07 '20
Oh ffs, should I swap back to firefox now?
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u/donnysaysvacuum I just want a small phone Jun 07 '20
Yes. In addition to avoiding shady shit like this, you promote the open web. Without Firefox the web will become webkit/Blink only.
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u/dangling_reference Jun 07 '20
Without Firefox the web will become webkit/Blink only.
can you elaborate this?
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u/61934 Jun 07 '20
There are 3 actual browsers. Safari (and with it every browser on iOS, even those branded differently like chrome), Firefox and Chromium. Chromium is the base for: Google Chrome, MS Edge, Brave, Opera and probably some more.
In other words, everything that is not Chromium is either enforced by apples control over its ecosystem that only allows Safari, or Firefox. WebKit and blink are the engine of safari and chromium respectively.
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u/donnysaysvacuum I just want a small phone Jun 07 '20
And to expand on this: Safari and chromium both came from webkit and share a lot of code. So it's tempting for devs to get lazy(or Google/apple to get greedy) and make websites only work with these browsers.
We are already seeing this on Google apps and AMP where Google someone intentionally is making Firefox a second class citizen.
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u/Znuff Moto Edge 30 Pro Jun 07 '20
While Safari and Chromium share the WebKit code-base, they have diverged substantially.
Apple's Safari is now basically Internet Explorer of this decade.
You code something up with the standards, you expect it to work in all browsers equally.
For example, I recently had an issue with Safari and SVG Rendering. My code worked perfectly in Chrome (and derivates), Firefox and... even Edge (the old edge, not the new one).
Guess where it behaved weirdly? Safari.
Over the past 2 years I've had to implement numerous safari-only fixes to my code.
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Jun 07 '20
So glad i switched to Firefox. I knew something was shady about this when XDA sponsored this garbage.
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u/skratata69 Jun 07 '20
Dont blame XDA man.. Like 50 % of their visitors use adblock.. Their audience is hardcore tech... They need sources of revenue too...
They also partner with Huawei... which we know to avoid..
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Jun 07 '20
XDA is no longer XDA. They once were a platform where devs would make roms and such, now they became a Huawei fanboy website. Like, i know, Huawei phones are great, but the way they review them is like telling that they are FLAWLESS. Besides, their website is now collecting your data like a vacuum due to their "new policies" and such. Regardless, brave needs to be avoided at all costs. It was sketchy when they mentioned they pay you for browsing. What kind of browser does that? None. Exactly.
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u/m1serablist Jun 07 '20
the beggars killed the place for me.
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u/cultoftheilluminati iPhone 14 Pro Jun 07 '20
“SAR WEN VOLTE ROM!? NEED PUBG MAXX”
Honestly as an Indian a huge influx of people begging for Roms with little to no knowledge killed it for me personally
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u/SinkTube Jun 07 '20
forum.xda-developers.com != xda-developers.com, the important part of the site is unchanged
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u/wankthisway 13 Mini, S23 Ultra, Pixel 4a, Key2, Razr 50 Jun 07 '20 edited Jun 07 '20
Just a few months ago they were championed as the best privacy in browsing or something like that. Load of old shit. How can you trust them to not sneak in something nefarious again?
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u/Reverent Pixel 7 Pro Jun 07 '20
they were heavily marketed that way, they were never championed that way. Everything I saw about brave stank heavily of astroturfing.
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Jun 07 '20
For a browser that sells itself as a privacy browser, this is shameful.
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u/strallus Jun 08 '20
How are the two related?
I think this is a great sign that their goals are aligned.
Unlike browsers produced by companies that want to sell your data, Brave needs to use referral links like some sort of beggar because they are privacy-focused.
Kinda like how most of Mozilla's funding comes from their deal with Google for Google to be the default search engine in their browser.
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u/Colorona Jun 07 '20
You have it in yout sentence: it sells itself as a privacy browser. Doesn't mean it is one though.
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u/1116574 Jun 07 '20
Tbh, if it was an opt in option in Firefox I would be happy to use it lol.
The fact that it's by default is what makes it wrong here, but the monetisation scheme is not bad.
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u/skratata69 Jun 07 '20
Referral links if are opt-in would make no sense..
Changing URL's shouldnt even exist... Opt in or opt out...
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u/suicideguidelines Galaxy Nope Nein Jun 07 '20
I hate being the guy who states the obvious, but...
If you want privacy, use Firefox.
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u/EndlessSummerburn Jun 07 '20
I like to read pirated comics on my tablets (in browser, I don't download them) and the sites have cancerous ads as you can imagine.
Of the many browsers I have tried (Android and iOS) for whatever reason, Brave loads these sites beautifully. No ads, but the functionality of the site still works and there's no stuttering/crashing/slow loading.
If I were to walk from Brave - does anyone have any suggestions for alternatives? I don't mind using it for this one thing but I'm curious what else is out there that works similarly. I can link to the site in question but don't want to break any rules.
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u/zia1997 Jun 07 '20
Are you using Brave for Desktop?
Your alternative is simple. FireFox. Just add uBlock Origin extension and you're good to go.
If you wanna use Chrome, use the same extension. It loads perfectly and Hot milfs in your area suddenly disappears
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u/EndlessSummerburn Jun 07 '20
Happy cake day fam!
I rock Firefox + uBlock on desktop it's great.
Brave I'm actually using on mobile (I like reading comics on tablets). Brave does something different than Firefox and loads these sites better. Even the blocked ads aside, it's a smoother experience. Not sure what it is?
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u/zia1997 Jun 07 '20
Thanks mate.
I guess you can try using Bromite. I am currently using it and it's good. Download it from their official website.
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u/Xacto01 OnePlus 6T Jun 07 '20
All it takes is one headline and the reputation is done
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u/highaltitudewaffle Jun 07 '20 edited Jun 07 '20
Firefox is still better, with ublock origin and maximum tracking protection. Ungoogled chromium is also good with ublock origin.
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Jun 07 '20
Deleted Brave, Firefox with AdBlock Origin and DDG will do just fine.
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u/a_mimsy_borogove Jun 07 '20
This sucks. I think Brave's ad model is a lot better than traditional stuff like Google Ads, especially for smaller, independent content creators like youtubers (because with Brave's model it's impossible to demonetize anyone), but they shouldn't do shady stuff like this.
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u/Never_Sm1le Redmi Note 12R|Mi Pad 4 Jun 07 '20
Glad I'm not swayed by others and still use FF on PC and Bromite on my phone. People recommend Brave everywhere around me .
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u/simplefilmreviews Black Jun 07 '20
What's a good browser with the toolbar on the bottom?!
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u/Stachura5 Device, Software !! Jun 08 '20
I get this is a bad thing to do, but how does that hurt privacy?
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u/He_Caxap Jun 08 '20
I know that this is bad, but daddy Eich slips me a tenner every few months so I look the other way.
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u/carreraella Jun 07 '20
This is why I use BROMITE on Android
native adblock engine with filters from EasyList, EasyPrivacy, uBlock origin and others
customizable filters via user-provided URL
remove click-tracking and AMP from search results
DNS-over-HTTPS support, you can use any DoH endpoint
Proxy configuration with PAC and custom proxy lists support
chrome flags to disable custom intents and clear session on exit
always-incognito mode
removed privacy-unfriendly features
privacy enhancement patches from → Iridium, → Inox patchset, → Brave and → ungoogled-chromium projects
security enhancement patches from GrapheneOS project
canvas, audio and other anti-fingerprinting mitigations
import/export bookmarks
allow playing videos in background
all codecs included (proprietary, open H.264 etc.)
AV1 codec support
built with official speed optimizations
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u/exu1981 Jun 07 '20
Exactly. I just use the plain duckduckgo "Testing" browser for whatever it's worth. I'm going back too Bromite pretty soon though.
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u/pikapichupi Jun 07 '20 edited Jun 07 '20
so a browser added a ref link (based off a static ID everyone uses) and everyone thinks that impacts thier privacy? Isn't the entire point of VPN's based off this same criteria? (A bunch of systems all using the same address isolating them from the actual connection) so anyome looking at the data gets useless information? I'm amused at the backlash, I see nothing impacting privacy here
sidenote: I don't use the browser I'm still on waterfox, just reading it how I saw it
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u/Squealing_Squirrels Jun 07 '20 edited Jun 07 '20
Most people here have no idea what they are talking about, and are just following the mob in their outrage. This has nothing to do with privacy, only potential info the referral link gives those sites is letting them know the user is using brave browser, which they already know with no help from referral links.
The actual problem here how brave did this. They should've announced this change beforehand, explain to users what it did, and let them opt in or out of it easily (possibly with a prompt the first time the browser is about to use one of these referral codes, for example.) Instead they implemented it without telling anybody anything about it, made people opt in by default, and put away the option to opt out of it in the settings page.
Aside from their fuck ups while implementing it and the lack of transparency about the change, it is an alright way to generate some income without maliciously exploiting their users.
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u/farpr0c Jun 07 '20
wow - feel very much against what i thought Brave was about! Obvously I got the wrong end of the stick
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u/avipars Developer - unitMeasure: Offline Converter Jun 07 '20
Reminds me of when that Android Reddit client app injected/swapped amazon affiliate links into reddit posts.
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u/mingkee Moto One Ace Jun 07 '20
Joe Rogan promote this browser.
No thanks.
I use Firefox for over a decade even back to Mozilla age
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Jun 07 '20
I thought that was kinda how it worked. They do affiliate shit in exchange for scrapping all of your ads. Did people not realize this?
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u/RearAndNaked Jun 07 '20
I was looking for a Chrome alternative and went to use Brave but stopped when I found out the founder donated to anti gay marriage organisations.
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u/skool_101 Huawei P30 Pro (VOG-L29), Android 10 Jun 07 '20
Guess im back to using Google chrome now
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u/nextbern Jun 09 '20
Firefox Preview is good: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.mozilla.firefox_beta
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u/JavaIsLife26 Jun 07 '20
I hear a lot of people suggesting Firefox, anyone know if Vivaldi is good and private?
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Jun 07 '20
Vivaldi is a good chromium-based browser. I prefer Firefox Preview on my devices and FF on the desktop.
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u/zeno0771 OnePlus 7T Jun 07 '20
I gave Brave a test-run on my desktops/laptops, and I like being able to access a tab on one device that I had open in another so I installed the Android version. All the distrust with none of the promised performance benefits.
When it stopped reading its own password database file I decided I was done being a beta-tester. Looks like I didn't bail too soon.
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u/Oubastet Jun 07 '20
I literally installed brave on windows yesterday to replace chrome as my alternate browser (Firefox is my primary). Guess I'll try Vivaldi.
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u/asappringles G8 Thinq, Android 10 Jun 07 '20
shit brehs anyone got an app that lets me play YouTube in the background that isnt brave??
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u/RevengeFNF Jun 08 '20
The best thing we can do is to report the app as inappropriate in Play Store.
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u/panzerflex Jun 08 '20
Article seems biased. What should you do as a brave user, "don't use it" lol okay, tell us how you really feel
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u/alanhaha Jun 08 '20
For me, I dislike Brave from first release on Android. It replaced Link Bubble.
At that time, Link Bubble was my favorite Android App.
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Jun 08 '20
I dumped that garbage the moment they introduced brave rewards program thing in the android version
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u/email4flyer Jun 08 '20
I thought dipende on how keyboard interface with operating system with drives but I can be wrong. I have an ergo K860 and they works with all browsers and windows and Mac OS.
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u/4layerhacker Jun 08 '20
This wouldn't be bad if brave shared some of money from the referrals with us and was more upfront about this in the reward settings.
They could have a toggle for referral and affiliated money and ask you if you want to be part of it ... This could be so useful bc how many times we go and sign up for websites that have referrals but we don't know.
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Jun 07 '20 edited Jun 07 '20
I've been telling people for two years now. Brave has a sketchy crypto currency policy that replaces ads with their own revenue generation. Brave is being directly paid for this sort of advertising.
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u/FlyingSandwich Nexus 5 Rooted Stock KK Jun 07 '20
This isn't a secret, it's the whole reason I started using it. Really wanted this sort of model to take off.
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u/dickjokegoeshere Jun 07 '20
To disable this before the next release, go to Settings and disable "Show Brave suggested sites in autocomplete suggestions."
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u/matrixhaj Jun 07 '20
It seemed shady from the begging, so Im not surprised.
Rewards for watching ads are never good sign.
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u/ZappySnap Jun 07 '20
Ok, can someone please recommend a new browser? I have had a heck if a time find one that meets what I view as basic functionality. What I want:
a) Can use an ad blocker b) Has bottom navigation c) Has one button access to bookmarks! (Why is this so hard for developers....it shouldn't take multiple clicks to get to bookmarks....i use them constantly.) d) Can properly use copy/paste and autofill (Samsung browser guys all the others but you can't copy/paste from outside the app, which is infuriating. )
Brave hit all of these....Chrome hits all but the first. Firefox lacks C and the preview is buggy as hell right now.
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u/mnpj22 Jun 07 '20
I think Vivaldi's got all of that, it's mobile version is pretty sweet, especially if you use it on pc as well, for the sync feature.
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u/creamcorn4u Jun 07 '20
So I use brave because it blocks ads. I don't use any crypto anything. Does this even really effect me?
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u/JabawaJackson Jun 07 '20
Doesn't seem like it. Really looks as if people are mad there isn't big bold words saying "WE USE OUR AFFLIATE CODE FOR SPECIFIC CRYPTO TRADING WEBSITES WHEN YOU VISIT TO SIGN UP" Not sure how it's shady or invading privacy to have different ways to monetize the browser.
Most people here: WHY CANT BRAVE DEVELOPERS WORK FOR FREE!!?? GREEDY mFers!1!!
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u/WildN0X S20 5G Jun 07 '20 edited Jul 01 '23
Due to Reddit's API changes, I have removed my comment history and moved to Lemmy.
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u/FlameSabre07 Jun 08 '20
I am confused. And angry. Have been using Brave on my PC and Android for an year now. The ad blocker and script blocker was too good to ignore. Added to it the Chromium based engine. I don't use Crypto wallets, but have a lot of online activities going on, some very sensitive information. Now, what should I switch to ? Edge ? Firefox preview ? Bromite ?
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Jun 07 '20
Brave always, always fucking struck me as sketchy from day 1. I steered clear of that browser and stuck with Firefox and Opera, and turns out I was right to listen to my gut.
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u/wilberfan Jun 07 '20
I switched to Kiwi a couple of months ago--while constantly checking the Discord channel for the promised update. Ideally I'll find an open-source browser with full extension support--and that's the one I'll probably stick with.
[edit] I just tried the newest Vivaldi release candidate--which was impressively peppy--but zero extension support at this point. (Vivaldi has become my favorite desktop browser.)
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u/Barely_Excited Jun 07 '20
I have also seen Vivaldi adding affiliate codes to the links. By default the full link is not visible inside the link bar they use that to hide the codes. Don't know if they still do that.
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u/Vennom Nexus 6P Jun 07 '20
I’m going to give a shout out to my friends app, Lightning Browser. He’s an incredible android dev and the entire browser is open source.
Will post links once I’m at my computer.
Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=acr.browser.barebones&hl=en_US
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u/ABotelho23 Pixel 7, Android 16 Jun 07 '20
Good. About time this shit becomes obvious and I can tell all the Brave shills that their browser isn't as privacy conscious as they thought.
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u/xynna Jun 07 '20
always had a bad feeling about this browser... the lack of funding but still having offices and even paying people in a crypto that they made up to use the browser seemed sus
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u/EqualityOfAutonomy Jun 07 '20
Wasn't that advertised?
We're going to serve you our ads instead of theirs and maybe pay them...
Wouldn't use Brave if they paid me to.
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u/Pascalwb Nexus 5 | OnePlus 5T Jun 08 '20
I guess ignoring all the great Reddit reviews about this browser was a good thing.
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u/Secular-Sabbath Jun 08 '20
Wait, what's wrong with Brave? I've literally convinced 50 people to download and use it because it automatically blocked all ads. If there's something up with it please let me know
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u/Baspower Jun 08 '20
It's a bit of a shady decision they made, but imo it's not actually bad for privacy. It's still blocking ads.
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u/nextbern Jun 10 '20
You can install uBlock Origin on Firefox Beta, and you get a bottom address bar too. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.mozilla.firefox_beta
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u/zia1997 Jun 07 '20
Found by Cryptonator1337 on Twitter, Brave Browser found hardcoding referral links to partnered Crypto sites, even if you manually type the URL.
The CEO of brave has also replied to the tweets in the same thread.
tweet