Originally, I was opposed to the model used to build the Brave browser. A payment and ad-replacement system seemed like something better suited for a browser plug-in than a browser fork. It seems harder to convince users to change browsers than to install a plug-in. Looking at the scope of changes and features listed today, it makes more sense to me now why they chose to fork.
It does seem odd to me that they chose to fork Chromium instead of Firefox. Google is obviously vested in keeping the existing ad revenue streams flowing, so Brave getting traction could be seen as a threat to Google's revenue. Google also seems fairly well placed with Chrome to be able to apply pressure on Brave. Is that a realistic concern for Brave? Could Google make life difficult for Brave? Firefox seems like a safer place to start, fewer conflicted interests. Maybe Brave would be able to pivot before Google could apply pressure.
The Brave privacy page mentions their "Ad Replacement" feature (https://brave.com/about_ad_replacement.html). I've seen people complain about it before on HN. As far as I can tell, the replaced advertisement doesn't generate any revenue for the viewed website. It's a clever way to make more money for Brave, but it doesn't really feel like fair play. I wonder if that would cause publishers to view the Brave browser poorly.
Thinking about what would happen if Brave gained serious traction... Brave works well for publishers if more people who currently use ad blockers switch to Brave instead. Brave works poorly for publishers if people who currently don't use ad blockers switch to Brave. In theory users could add their own money to Brave which could cause publishers to realize similar or larger revenue, although I wouldn't expect enough users to do that for it to matter. So overall, it seems like Brave would shrink the revenue available to publishers. Publishers may come to this conclusion and want to discourage the use of Brave. With the ad-blocker detection tricks gaining popularity, I wonder if publishers would just block Brave users. Maybe that's part of why Brave no longer uses a unique user agent string (https://github.com/brave/browser-laptop/blob/master/CHANGELO...).
I am also a little concerned about Brave's ability to respond to security issues. I trust Google and Mozilla with Browser security based on how they have handled issues. Since Brave is a fork of Chromium I expect a lag time when security patches are released. The lag time is mentioned here (https://github.com/brave/browser-laptop/issues/840). I don't have good a insight into how Brave security tests the code they add/modify, so I can't comment there.
FWIW I don't plan to use Brave, but I am very interested to see how it evolves. It's a fantastic idea.
It does seem odd to me that they chose to fork Chromium instead of Firefox. Google is obviously vested in keeping the existing ad revenue streams flowing, so Brave getting traction could be seen as a threat to Google's revenue. Google also seems fairly well placed with Chrome to be able to apply pressure on Brave. Is that a realistic concern for Brave? Could Google make life difficult for Brave? Firefox seems like a safer place to start, fewer conflicted interests. Maybe Brave would be able to pivot before Google could apply pressure.
The Brave privacy page mentions their "Ad Replacement" feature (https://brave.com/about_ad_replacement.html). I've seen people complain about it before on HN. As far as I can tell, the replaced advertisement doesn't generate any revenue for the viewed website. It's a clever way to make more money for Brave, but it doesn't really feel like fair play. I wonder if that would cause publishers to view the Brave browser poorly.
Thinking about what would happen if Brave gained serious traction... Brave works well for publishers if more people who currently use ad blockers switch to Brave instead. Brave works poorly for publishers if people who currently don't use ad blockers switch to Brave. In theory users could add their own money to Brave which could cause publishers to realize similar or larger revenue, although I wouldn't expect enough users to do that for it to matter. So overall, it seems like Brave would shrink the revenue available to publishers. Publishers may come to this conclusion and want to discourage the use of Brave. With the ad-blocker detection tricks gaining popularity, I wonder if publishers would just block Brave users. Maybe that's part of why Brave no longer uses a unique user agent string (https://github.com/brave/browser-laptop/blob/master/CHANGELO...).
I am also a little concerned about Brave's ability to respond to security issues. I trust Google and Mozilla with Browser security based on how they have handled issues. Since Brave is a fork of Chromium I expect a lag time when security patches are released. The lag time is mentioned here (https://github.com/brave/browser-laptop/issues/840). I don't have good a insight into how Brave security tests the code they add/modify, so I can't comment there.
FWIW I don't plan to use Brave, but I am very interested to see how it evolves. It's a fantastic idea.