User privacy and the risks associated with data leaks should be a priority for today’s globalized society, and Larry Sander, co-founder of Wikipedia, is fully aware of this. In early 2019, Sanders said his new year’s resolution was to protect his cyber-life “(along with getting into shape, of course).”
Sanger explains that security threats from criminals (such as ISIS) and tech giants (such as Facebook and the Cambridge Analytica scandal) are becoming more frequent. However, the second reason that made him opted for “locking his cyber life” is the manipulation of the content that “Silicon Valley behemoths” exert on what users consume in the end:
“The Silicon Valley behemoths have decided to move beyond mere moderation for objectively abusive behavior and shutting down (really obvious) terrorist organizations, to start engaging in viewpoint censorship of conservatives and libertarians. As a free speech libertarian who has lived online for much of my life since 1994, these developments are deeply concerning. The culprits include the so-called FAANG companies (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google), but to that list we must add YouTube, Twitter, and Microsoft.”
To fight this problem, he devised a “plan” which he updated on March 17 and shared on his personal blog, He explained each of the steps he hopes to take during 2019 to have a safer life:
Goodbye Chrome… Hello Brave Browser
The first step of his “plan” (avoid using Google Chrome) has already been completed. He explains that Brave Browser has had a favorable evolution and that now not only is easier to use but it represents a much better option than Google Chrome:
Stop using Chrome. (Done.) Google collects massive amounts of information from us via their browser. The good news is that you don’t have to use it, if you’re among the 62% of people who do … I’ve switched to Eich’s newer, privacy-focused browser, Brave. I’ve had a much better experience using it lately than I had when I first tried it a year or two ago and when it was still on the bleeding edge.
Good News For The Privacy Freaks!
Another of Sanger’s steps was subscribing to a VPN service. In this way, the possibility of IP tracking and information manipulation is avoided. However, for those who do not want to spend money on this service, or configure a VPN in more complex cases, Brave Browser can be of great help:
VPNs solve those problems by making your connection to the Internet anonymous. The big problem with VPNs, and the reason I probably won’t do this, is that they slow down your Internet connection … A nice fallback is the built-in private windows in Brave that are run on the Tor network, which operates on a similar principle to VPNs
Basic Attention Token (BAT) Makes it Possible To Get Paid While Surfing The Web
Mr. Sander explains that in addition to being privacy oriented (which is Sander’s primary motivation) Brave offers the option of paying users for consuming content. The BAT token is the browser’s native cryptocurrency and aims to change the way content distribution industry works, providing a more favorable and comfortable alternative for users and providers:
It also pays you in crypto for using it… There’s absolutely no need to use Chrome for anything but testing, and that’s only if you’re in Web development. By the way, the Brave iOS app is really nice, too.
Brave Browser has been considered one of the safest web browsers available. Basic Attention Token (BAT) is ranked 30th in the global marketcap with a total capitalization of $237,320,762 according to data provided by Coinpricewatch.
