4 ms·

I work at Brave on the business team. This is helpful feedback. Brave is a startup with a small team earnestly building a new thing that combines a browser wi

I work at Brave on the business team. This is helpful feedback. Brave is a startup with a small team earnestly building a new thing that combines a browser with a tipping system, with creator tools, with ad blocking... it's ambitious! As it's a new thing, describing it can be messy sometimes. We're always working to make our language better and clearer though. Thank you for letting us know it fell short for you. To address a point: We know there's a lot of creators on a lot of platforms. At the moment, we've built support for creator channels in the form of web sites, Youtube channels and Twitch channels. When I joined this past summer I had the same reaction. "What about Tumblr? What about Twitter?" Each new platform takes time to write support for and we have a long list of features requests. We'll get there!

jonahhorowitz 8y ago
Here's the deal. If you want what you're proposing to work - you need to copy the model that Google briefly used with Google Contributor. Bid on the exchanges for the ads you want to block. Then serve cat pictures (or whatever). The creators will get paid through the existing payment infrastructure and you don't need to build an entirely parallel, opt-in system that will probably never gain enough traction to be worth using.
- Klathmon 8y ago
  I'm still amazed and saddened that the original Contributor didn't work out. It was such a great concept that would work all the way from first introduction to a hypothetical future where everyone uses this and nobody sees ads.
  - jonahhorowitz 8y ago
    Agreed. That said, it's better if it's someone other than Google doing it. Google only has access to bid on the Google exchanges, but a 3rd party can bid on AppNexus, private exchanges (WSJ), etc.
marcinzm 8y ago
>Each new platform takes time to write support for and we have a long list of features requests. We'll get there! And until you write that support do you still take tips and send them to the whois account holder of the domain? Or do you block tips?
smacktoward 8y ago
The complaint is that you're soliciting donations in the names of specific individuals without their knowledge or consent. Relative to that complaint: > Brave is a startup ... is not relevant. > with a small team ... is not relevant. > earnestly ... is not relevant. > building a new thing ... is not relevant. > that combines a browser with a tipping system, with creator tools, with ad blocking ... is not relevant. None of these things are relevant to the complaint being offered. It doesn't require a large team to not solicit money in other peoples' names. It doesn't require an established product to not solicit money in other peoples' names. It odesn't require checking off all the boxes on your feature TODO list to not solicit money in other peoples' names. All it requires is to not solicit money in other peoples' names.
bencollier49 8y ago
Have you addressed the GDPR issue? What is your legal basis for using someone's identity?
- brandnewlow 8y ago
  That was not our intention. We see how people could argue we were though so we're dropping creator images from our overlay that explains tipping to unverified creators. You can read about this and other changes we're rolling out here: https://brave.com/rewards-update/ https://brave.com/rewards-update/
mistrial9 8y ago
the statements from Brave people on this thread seem reasonable ; many inflammatory comments here do not seem reasonable
- klyrs 8y ago
  Sure, Brave's PR approach seems reasonable: act like you're confused and listening, but don't respond to anything resembling criticism. But acting dumb and carrying on is an inflammatory action, when your actions are ethically bankrupt -- an inflamed response is warranted and quite reasonable in this situation.
- donaltroddyn 8y ago
  I disagree completely. So far, both here and on Twitter, the core complaint, that donations are solicited in the name of people who have no relationship with Brave, and from whom Brave has no consent, has been completely ignored. The fact is the original complainant, Tom Scott, and many others, find that practice abhorrent, and the response so far has been deflection or vague promises that the Brave team want to help content creators, whether they want the "help" or not.
  - brandnewlow 8y ago
    We just posted up a list of changes going live tomorrow that hopefully address all the concerns listed in this thread: https://brave.com/rewards-update/ https://brave.com/rewards-update/ Thanks for your feedback.
SheinhardtWigCo 8y ago
Can you break down how user dollar contributions were disbursed in 2018? What percentage was paid out to websites and content creators; what percentage was paid into the user growth fund; and what percentage was taken by Brave as a fee?

jonahhorowitz 8y ago

Here's the deal. If you want what you're proposing to work - you need to copy the model that Google briefly used with Google Contributor. Bid on the exchanges for the ads you want to block. Then serve cat pictures (or whatever). The creators will get paid through the existing payment infrastructure and you don't need to build an entirely parallel, opt-in system that will probably never gain enough traction to be worth using.

Klathmon 8y ago
I'm still amazed and saddened that the original Contributor didn't work out. It was such a great concept that would work all the way from first introduction to a hypothetical future where everyone uses this and nobody sees ads.
- jonahhorowitz 8y ago
  Agreed. That said, it's better if it's someone other than Google doing it. Google only has access to bid on the Google exchanges, but a 3rd party can bid on AppNexus, private exchanges (WSJ), etc.

marcinzm 8y ago

>Each new platform takes time to write support for and we have a long list of features requests. We'll get there! And until you write that support do you still take tips and send them to the whois account holder of the domain? Or do you block tips?

smacktoward 8y ago

The complaint is that you're soliciting donations in the names of specific individuals without their knowledge or consent. Relative to that complaint: > Brave is a startup ... is not relevant. > with a small team ... is not relevant. > earnestly ... is not relevant. > building a new thing ... is not relevant. > that combines a browser with a tipping system, with creator tools, with ad blocking ... is not relevant. None of these things are relevant to the complaint being offered. It doesn't require a large team to not solicit money in other peoples' names. It doesn't require an established product to not solicit money in other peoples' names. It odesn't require checking off all the boxes on your feature TODO list to not solicit money in other peoples' names. All it requires is to not solicit money in other peoples' names.

bencollier49 8y ago

Have you addressed the GDPR issue? What is your legal basis for using someone's identity?

brandnewlow 8y ago
That was not our intention. We see how people could argue we were though so we're dropping creator images from our overlay that explains tipping to unverified creators. You can read about this and other changes we're rolling out here: https://brave.com/rewards-update/ https://brave.com/rewards-update/

mistrial9 8y ago

the statements from Brave people on this thread seem reasonable ; many inflammatory comments here do not seem reasonable

klyrs 8y ago
Sure, Brave's PR approach seems reasonable: act like you're confused and listening, but don't respond to anything resembling criticism. But acting dumb and carrying on is an inflammatory action, when your actions are ethically bankrupt -- an inflamed response is warranted and quite reasonable in this situation.
donaltroddyn 8y ago
I disagree completely. So far, both here and on Twitter, the core complaint, that donations are solicited in the name of people who have no relationship with Brave, and from whom Brave has no consent, has been completely ignored. The fact is the original complainant, Tom Scott, and many others, find that practice abhorrent, and the response so far has been deflection or vague promises that the Brave team want to help content creators, whether they want the "help" or not.
- brandnewlow 8y ago
  We just posted up a list of changes going live tomorrow that hopefully address all the concerns listed in this thread: https://brave.com/rewards-update/ https://brave.com/rewards-update/ Thanks for your feedback.

SheinhardtWigCo 8y ago

Can you break down how user dollar contributions were disbursed in 2018? What percentage was paid out to websites and content creators; what percentage was paid into the user growth fund; and what percentage was taken by Brave as a fee?