I have seen many people in this community either talking about switching to Brave, or people who are actively using Brave. I would like to remind people that Brave browser (and by extension their search engine) is not privacy-centric whatsoever.

Brave was already ousted as spyware in the past and the company has made many decisions that are questionable at best. For example, Brave made a cryptocurrency which they then added to a rewards program that is built into the browser to encourage you to enable ads that are controlled by Brave.

Edit: Please be aware that the spyware article on Brave (and the rest of the browsers on the site) is outdated and may not reflect the browser as it is today.

After creating this cryptocurrency and rewards program, they started inserting affiliate codes into URL’s. Prior to this they had faked fundraising for popular social media creators.

Do these decisions seem like ones a company that cares about their users (and by extension their privacy) would make? I’d say the answer is a very clear no.

One last thing, Brave illegally promoted an eToro affiliate program making a fortune from its users who will likely lose their money.

Edit: To the people commenting saying how Brave has a good out-of-the-box experience compared to other browsers, yes, it does. However, this is not a warning for your average person, this is a warning for people who actively care about their privacy and don’t mind configuring their browser to maximize said privacy.

    • deweydecibel
      link
      fedilink
      51 year ago

      Too many people only care about the openweb or shitty companies in the comments. They have no fucking willpower, no patience, and no follow through. Their complaints are utterly meaningless because they utterly refuse to stick to their guns.

      There’s one and literally only one browser that actually stands for all the things the most vocal people around here claim to care about.

      Yet, they use Brave.

      • Amju Wolf
        link
        fedilink
        7
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        Ehh there is only so much a single person can care about. If you have a life and aren’t effectively an activist/lobbyis by profession you can’t care about politics both local and global, preserving nature and ecolody, world hunger & disease, and a million other things like which software company is less evil all at once and follow through 100%, supporting all of the causes meaningfully.

        Not to mention we have to make compromises, too.

        There’s one and literally only one browser that actually stands for all the things the most vocal people around here claim to care about.

        Hard disagree. Firefox had its fair share of controversies, it’s still technically funded by Google (while not accepting donations), and Mozilla Foundation as a nonprofit is pretty questionable too.

        The leadership of Mozilla Corporation is shit too like any other corp; they lay off engineers and give themselves huge bonuses.

        It takes them years to even acknowledge simple bugs, let alone actually getting to fix them.

        A huge part of why Firefox lost the “browser wars” is also that they failed to make it easy to build into other apps so it could work more like Electron, while also pissing off users with surface changes that break their workflow.

        Overall it’s better than Chrome especially if you care about privacy, but it’s not a huge win.

          • KatlahOP
            link
            fedilink
            41 year ago

            As I stated in a previous post, if you are using an iPhone you’ve basically given up on having privacy. For ad blockers you could use AdGuard and Safari, it’s better than nothing. You could also use something like Mullvad VPN, it has DNS ad blocking.

            • @fatbeer@reddthat.com
              link
              fedilink
              -11 year ago

              As I stated in a previous post, I am using AdGuard on safari. And since I’ve basically given up on privacy, I also use Brave at times.

            • @Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
              link
              fedilink
              -31 year ago

              That’s the most ridiculous statement I’ve seen today. iOS has infinitely better privacy than Android lawl

              • KatlahOP
                link
                fedilink
                41 year ago

                An iPhone is a give-up on privacy because you don’t get alternatives. If you don’t like your stock OS on an Android phone you can just switch OS (for example GrapheneOS, CalyxOS, ect.). If you don’t like the normal YouTube app you can just sideload a different one. You don’t get this kind of freedom with an iPhone. A prime example of this is when, during the Hong Kong Riots where Apple pulled an app that assisted protesters.

              • @HughJanus@lemmy.ml
                link
                fedilink
                1
                edit-2
                1 year ago

                Stock for stock, yes.

                The difference is iOS is iOS, and there is only one. Whereas Android is open source and comes in thousands of flavors. You cannot install another OS on your Apple devices. You get what Apple gives you, and nothing more or different because that’s the way they like it. They want control over your devices.

                Some flavors of Android are Graphene or Calyx OS which are not only better and more usable than iOS but also 10x more secure and private.

          • @lastrogue@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            11 year ago

            This is why I use Brave on iOS devices. It is the best option I found. Others mention Adguard home and pihole. They just don’t work as well at blocking ads.

            • @dragonrules@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              11 year ago

              This browser is helpful on iOS because it can run Firefox or chrome extensions. Ublock origin works great. I don’t see any ads.

              • KatlahOP
                link
                fedilink
                11 year ago

                uBlock Origin actually doesn’t work at all on Orion, it’s just that the browsers built-in ad blocker is very good.

            • @fatbeer@reddthat.com
              link
              fedilink
              11 year ago

              Thanks I didn’t know about that one and I thought I went through all the alternatives. Currently I’m primarily watching YouTube vids through invidious in safari but will use brave when I watch my saved playlists.

          • @CatsGoMOW@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            11 year ago

            It’s not something the average person can or will do, but if you’re so inclined you can run Pi-Hole or AdGuard Home and have all your iOS devices go through it.

            I even set up a VPN for when I’m away from home that I can connect to and get routed through my home internet connection which gives me ad blocking on the go.

            Or if you want a simpler answer, look into using the AdGuard app on your iOS device.

            • deweydecibel
              link
              fedilink
              31 year ago

              Not on iOS. Every browser on iOS is effectively just a skin for safari. There is no true Firefox for iPhone, or chrome for that matter.

              If you’re using an iPhone, you willingly surrendered your freedom of choice. This is what you paid for.

              • @EeeDawg101@lemm.ee
                link
                fedilink
                11 year ago

                Something unique about the Brave browser is that it allows me to use filter lists to block ads. I can insert my own custom lists too which is cool.

                I haven’t found another browser that allows this on iOS (other than safari with extensions).

                • break1146
                  link
                  fedilink
                  21 year ago

                  Doesn’t Firefox support extensions on iOS? I’m on Android and I’m currently using uBlock Origin and Dark Reader. I also use Lemmy through it, seems to work quite well.

              • @Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
                link
                fedilink
                11 year ago

                Firefox focus blocks ads on YouTube.

                Safari with Wipr does not.

                I know because I have them both. I use them for different things.

            • @fatbeer@reddthat.com
              link
              fedilink
              11 year ago

              Firefox focus doesn’t seem to save open windows, it’s a purely incognito browser. & you can only have one page open at a time.

              • @Zoop@beehaw.org
                link
                fedilink
                1
                edit-2
                1 year ago

                You’re right about the first part; it’s an incognito, tracker & ad blocking browser that clears your history and everything every time you close it… but if you long press on a link, you can open it in a new tab. Multiple, even. There’s just no option I’ve found to open a blank new tab and navigate to a website that way. So I totally understand why you’d think that!

                (I hope this doesn’t come off as pedantic or rude or anything. That’s definitely not my intention here - I just want people to be able to make informed decisions with correct information, ya feel?)

            • @Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
              link
              fedilink
              11 year ago

              Focus does indeed block YT ads!

              Even safari with Wipr does not. Though it is amazing for everything else.

          • deweydecibel
            link
            fedilink
            11 year ago

            Don’t use iOS.

            I mean, that’s it. That’s your only option. On iOS, Safari is the only real choice you have.

            • @fatbeer@reddthat.com
              link
              fedilink
              11 year ago

              I chose an iPhone because I didn’t want to use googles play store. Now I know there are options around that but most users (including myself at least for now) are not willing to learn how to do that and set it up.

              • Scratch
                link
                fedilink
                11 year ago

                FYI to you or anyone who doesn’t know: If you are browsing the internet on an iOS or iPadOS device you are forced to use the Webkit rendering engine. Chrome, Safari, Brave, Firefox. All of them use Webkit to display web pages because you won’t get an app on the App store if you use anything else. The EU is forcing Apple to allow other browsing tech through the app submission process, so we will see alternatives in the future.

                • @seang96@spgrn.com
                  link
                  fedilink
                  11 year ago

                  I read a couple months back Mozilla got some internal builds with their engine for iOS. This is the #1 reason why I don’t have an iPhone. I’d probably get one next time I am looking if this happens. That or maybe Ubuntu touch or something gets more mature.

  • @Skimmer@lemmy.zip
    link
    fedilink
    101 year ago

    Brave is not spyware. That website you linked is horrible and full of misinformation. They also claim that Firefox, and even Tor Browser, are spyware. They act as if any and all connections a browser makes are automatically bad and used for spying/tracking.

    I won’t disagree with the other criticisms of Brave that you made, but just wanted to point that out. That website is just highly unreliable and makes verifiably false claims about the browsers it reviews.

  • AphoticDev
    link
    fedilink
    81 year ago

    Let’s not forget one of the biggest investors is a right-wing billionaire who runs a corporate intelligence agency that contracts with the DoD. And the only proof we have that he doesn’t collect data on Brave’s users is the questionable word of the devs.

  • @Kalcifer@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    4
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    If nothing else, I would recommend Firefox over Brave for the sole reason of the latter being yet another Chromium browser. It would be nice if we could eat away some of the browser marketshare from Google.

  • Mirror Slap
    link
    fedilink
    41 year ago

    Well, 1st, your sources are are weak here. However, it is a fact Brave is also run by con artists and swindlers.

    The issue many users have is compatibility. Firefox zealots ignore the fact IT folks must work with Chromium. I cannot get the tools I need to work reliably on Firefox (or LibreWolf, Mullvad, etc.).

    So, within the Chromium limitation, , I work on 7 systems regularly, I must have bookmark replication, MacOS/Linux/Windows/Android support:

    Ungoogled Chromium = rough, no bookmark replication Vivaldi = worse than Brave, because no full source code Opera = Chinese Iridium = Indian Brave = source code available, privacy focused Edge = lol Chrome = lol

    Winner? Brave. I use it with Pi-hole DNS on my home network, forced to use it with work DNS on their networks. I do also use LibreWolf (aka Firefox) with the Mullvad extension. I use it along with Brave, and hopefully at some point I can switch. I’ve tried 3 times in recent years, but too many web interfaces have Firefox issues, since it’s blatantly not being used to QA websites anymore.

  • aaaaaaadjsf [he/him, comrade/them]
    link
    fedilink
    3
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    Brave was also made by a guy who got kicked out of Mozilla for being homophobic. The cryptocurrency stuff is brave also a major scam, it’s a crypto that must first be converted into another crypto before it can be converted into real money. How is that a “currency”?

    • 👁️👄👁️
      link
      fedilink
      11 year ago

      Personally, I trade my monopoly money into beanie babies and use that to pay my rent. I’m homeless.

    • KatlahOP
      link
      fedilink
      11 year ago

      As I stated in another comment, I didn’t bring up the CEO’s controversies because they are subjective. Some people might be fine with what he thinks. It also doesn’t really impact the software in any way.

      • Hot Saucerman
        link
        fedilink
        1
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        Also, and I hate to defend a homophobe here, but if we’re going back to the details…

        It all sprang up because he gave $1000 to the Prop 8 campaign for banning same sex marriage in California.

        Scummy, to be sure, but it’s not like he orchestrated the whole campaign or fully financed them. $1000 is barely enough to pay for one TV ad to play exactly one time on a local California TV station. I understand, yes, that when you add that to the rest of the donations, it was a juggernaut, but it still felt a little like punishing someone for having different politics. I also understand that it would be hard to work under someone like that knowing what his politics are, and questioning if that was going to impact fellow LGBT employees. Super valid reasons to be upset that he was put in the top leadership position.

        His politics are shitty, to be sure, but a single $1000 donation definitely always seemed a little overblown to me. Especially since he chose to resign after just 11 days, while Mozilla had tried to convince him to stay on in a different role. No one in leadership roles stepped down over him, he made the choice to save the organization instead of himself. That at least showed some sense of humility. So I don’t know, not the greatest guy, and his current trajectory with Brave hasn’t been so great either, but he at least showed decorum in that situation.

        However, that situation also put Mozilla on the defensive, having to put out a FAQ about how they weren’t turning into an activist organization, or how you didn’t have to ascribe to and agree on every political issue to work at Mozilla.

        It was just bad business all around.

        • @AlexWIWA@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          11 year ago

          Prop 8 was also awhile ago so it’s possible he changed his mind. People forget how common it was to be shitty on this issue in the 2000’s. The public consensus only flipped in like 2013.

          I have no evidence either way though

          That said, Brave is worse software than Firefox imo so it’s a moot point.

        • Blxter
          link
          fedilink
          11 year ago

          Thanks for clearing everything up along of other threads always just said he was homophobic and that’s the only reason to not use brave.

          • Hot Saucerman
            link
            fedilink
            1
            edit-2
            1 year ago

            No problem. I remember being mildly irked about it at the time, because while I disagree with his choice to make that donation to that group, and understand the feelings of LGBT people working at Mozilla and how knowing his politics impacted them… He handled the public response to it professionally. He didn’t double down like conservative politicians these days and start shouting about “gays are groomers” or something. He owned it and stepped away, which should at least speak to him not being completely homophobic and able to take ownership of how his personal politics affected others. You see so little of that these days, that when someone acts professionally after perceived wrongdoing, it seems sad when people don’t recognize it.

            Also, I never saw any news of him being proven to have made any discriminatory moves while in Mozilla at all. I could be wrong, but I don’t remember employee complaints of being treated differently before the news of his donation broke. Like I said, I can understand how that news can change how you feel about your boss, but if your boss never made an outward show of it in a work environment and a news report on his political donations is what it took for you to know his politics… it means he was probably being pretty fucking professional at work and trying to not let his personal politics infect how he treated his coworkers and employees. *shrugs

  • Don Escobar
    link
    fedilink
    31 year ago

    Brave always marketed itself as hardened privacy browser and the second I saw their shitcoin immediately bells went off.

    Either way, I use Librewolf on PC and Mac and lately been giving Arc a try on Mac and I like it.

  • Elias Griffin
    link
    fedilink
    3
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    Spyware is a bit of a stretch. However, let’s talk about Firefox. Mozilla Corporation is a Billion Dollar Corporation that is tied at the hip to Google and uses 115+ servers to track every single thing you do.

    Chromium explicitly uses shared memory and is technically able to write and execute not only shared data from private/incognito to regular windows or tabs but adjacent processes. You can search for mmap in the Chromium repo or try to use Chromium with FreeBSD or GhostBSD sysctl.conf set with kern.elf64.allow_wx = 0 - it won’t run.

    The Precise Geolcation Timeout for Firefox is 68 years.

  • @gornius@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    31 year ago

    Brave behaving like Win XP era browser with gazillion toolbars installed, with a pinch of crypto and crypto promoting ads should be a giant red flag.

    FOSS =/= trusted by default. Why are there so many FOSS evangelists, but such a damn tiny part of them are programmers, let alone programmers able to examine a source code behind such a giant codebase as web browser?

    I use Vivaldi, at least their business model is clear, and developer is kind of trusted, and not crypto scammer and homophobe.

  • @Phegan@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    21 year ago

    I would recommend waterfox. I use it on windows, it doesn’t run great on Linux so far so on my Linux machines I use Firefox.

    • Black AOC
      link
      fedilink
      1
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      Anyone who knows the climate and environmental cost of one of your bullshit coins is well within their rights to hate the nasty fucking things. Y’all would broil this planet alive just to be able to buy your dark web treats.

      • @bassomitron@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        11 year ago

        I’m not the biggest fan of crypto, but there are plenty of crypto coins that do not rely on mining at all. In fact, I’d argue that the only really relevant coins in the future will not be based on Proof of Work. Staking is problematic for other reasons, but it’s far more climate friendly than proof of work

    • KatlahOP
      link
      fedilink
      11 year ago

      I didn’t mention that the CEO is an asshole because 1. that’s subjective and 2. it doesn’t relate to privacy in any way. The browser actively monetizing social media creators without their consent (and by extension misleading their users) is much more privacy related (in my opinion).

      I don’t hate cryptocurrency, cryptocurrency is one of, if not the, best way to pay for something completely anonymously (for example XMR). I don’t believe I actively hated on cryptocurrency anywhere in this post, I simply showed how Brave is using it for malicious purposes.

    • @Shadywack@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      -11 year ago

      What’s ironic is that there wasn’t crypto hate. Though for me that’s why Brave can go diaf, along with crypto. Crypto is dogshit puffed full of birdshit, and I can’t fucking stand pro-crypto anything. I actively work against crypto, and am quite pleased that I’m given multiple opportunities to undermine and fuck over the crypto communities. Also it will not stop, until crypto is dead, so you making it seem like a bad thing to be anti-crypto is falling on deaf ears for me.

      I’m for whatever is against crypto. The more damage I can personally do to the crypto scene, the better.

    • Maoo [none/use name]
      link
      fedilink
      -21 year ago

      Crypto is the dumbest hill to die on.

      It’s tens of thousands of unregistered securities hype bubbles built on half-baked tech. There is nothing of value there.

      And Brave is just Chromium with a faux privacy mask.

  • @Samsy@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    21 year ago

    Never used it, I saw some twitter comments from it’s CEO and this guy isn’t trustable.

    I go with Firefox and sometimes epiphany. Last one tries to accomplish the level of the well known ones but is mostly years behind. That’s sad, because I really like it.

  • Yuumi
    link
    fedilink
    21 year ago

    Firefox + Startpage is really cool. I like how their searched don’t include the search parameters in the url + the built in proxy