Blockchain-powered software is getting more and more popular, with the number of celebrity endorsements going up all the time. The latest one in the long list of celebrity endorsers of blockchain technology is the podcaster, Joe Rogan. A few days ago, he revealed that he has been using an ads-free browser called Brave, which is based on the blockchain technology.
In a discussion Rogan had with comedian Reggie Watts, the two touched upon the subject of cybersecurity and online privacy. According to the two, if you’re using a conventional web browser like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, you are being tracked. Those are big claims, but is there any truth to them?
Are You Being Tracked?
We live in an era of conspiracy theories when it’s not that easy to figure out whet’s real and what’s nonsense. Tech giants like Microsoft, for example, have been in the focus of conspiracy theorists. Recently, Russian Oscar winner Nikita Mikhalkov called Microsoft’s blockchain project satanic. Similar stories have been circling around for other companies, including Facebook and Google.
If you want to use Facebook, you’re getting tracked.
Joe Rogan on online tracking.
In episode #1484 of Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan and Watts discussed a recent lawsuit against Google that could cost the tech giant as much as $5 billion dollars. The reason for the lawsuit is Google’s decision to track the users without their explicit consent. The company has been gathering user data even from those who have been using Google Chrome in the Incognito Mode.
Rogan and Watts came to the conclusion that the best way to ensure your privacy is to switch from conventional web browsers to privacy-conscious ones like Brave and Duck Duck Go. Watts did add that the latter option was not as good as Brave, as its search engine “sucks.”
Is Blockchain Browser the Solution?
The Brave browser is the brainchild of Brendan Eich, who was one of the founders of Mozilla. The new browser is utilizing the blockchain technology, which enables the users to navigate the internet without being tracked by anyone. That’s the main selling point of blockchain browsers such as Brave, but there are a few other advantages.
For example, Brave comes with no ads, but the users have the option to opt-in for ads. Why would anyone want to do that? The answer is that by letting the blockchain browser display ads, you will be rewarded with some cryptocurrency rewards. For every ad, you will receive a portion of the BAT token.
With over 15 million users, Brave is one of the most popular blockchain browsers in the world. However, other similar browsers are also getting a lot of attention in recent times. According to Reggie Watts, “the future is distributed,” suggesting that we might even see conventional web browsers embracing the blockchain technology in the near future.
Judging by the fact that Google has recently struck a deal with Theta that involves Google Cloud being used as the validator in a blockchain process, Watts’ prediction seems likely to come true.
