How One Web Browser Is Changing the Landscape of Online Advertising

Privacy is not an option, and it shouldn’t be the price we accept for just getting on the internet.” — Gary Kovacs

Before the internet became a commercial necessity, the advertisement business was one of the most unique jobs in the corporate world. It is one of the few industries to have built its foundation on creativity, art, and business. In the past, content creators had to earn your time and level of engagement with ads. Sadly, today the internet allows them to track your movements and preempt your next move almost without your consent.

From the point of privacy and independence to make decisions, customers were truly kings before the internet.

The growing demand for the internet eventually pushed companies and creators into advertising their content online. Online advertising came at a cost that had to be paid by the customers with their time and privacy. For the longest time, internet users were not aware of how their data was being used to try and redirect their own decisions on the web. Clickbait ads became the norm and companies made hefty profits while customers were losing control.

The goal of advertising today is not to be creative or engaging, but rather to entice you into buying a product or a service by following your footprints on the web. This may not be illegal, unethical, or immoral, but it indeed falls in that grey area.

To tackle the issue of users losing their data on the web for advertisers without their knowledge, Brendan Eich and Brian Bondy created the Brave browser—which incentivizes its users in cryptocurrency to view ads at their discretion without compromising on data privacy, giving the users 100% control of their decisions.

Sound too good to be true?

Before we dive in, let’s consider our current online advertisements and the areas where it falls short.

The present online ad-model for businesses

Ever since traffic on the internet has increased, so has the number of advertisements on websites. Today, it does not stop at the number of rising ads that users have to watch. Instead, with the help of ad trackers, businesses have the unchecked and unregulated power to follow you and passively instigate you into making a decision you are not fully convinced to make.

For example: If you’re browsing for a pair of headphones on Amazon and not sure which one to buy, the minute