this post was submitted on 09 Oct 2023
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Privacy

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Please, do not use Brave. (lemmy.dbzer0.com)
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by eya@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/privacy@lemmy.ml
 

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.

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[–] eya@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If they are doing these kinds of things with their browser, what are they doing behind the scenes with their search engine?

[–] black_mouflon@beehaw.org 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don't know. That's why I'm asking.

[–] eya@lemmy.dbzer0.com -2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That is the issue with their search engine. If they are already doing these things with their browser, how can you trust that their search engine isn't violating your privacy as well? That's the problem, you have to ask that question when using it.

[–] black_mouflon@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I ask that question and you failed to answer it twice. I'm interested in how they violate my privacy. Like, the mechanisms. To say Brave products are bad in one aspect therefore they are bad in all aspects is falacy of the composition.

[–] eya@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 year ago

I did answer it, twice, if you don't like my answer I'm fine with that, but I also won't be changing it.