Would you like to be paid Bitcoin to view advertising while browsing the web?

If the answer is either yes or you’ve never thought about it before but it sounds like a great idea, you’re going to like the Brave browser (Brave Software, Inc.), a new browser set to launch in May that will do exactly that.

First announced in January and being built by former Mozilla Foundation (Firefox) Chief Executive Officer Brendan Eich, Brave is a web browser built for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android that comes with ad blocking built in, but in a twist will give users the option to replace ads with ads from its own network, and will pay those who opt to see these ads in Bitcoin for the privilege.

The replacement ads are promised to be non-intrusive, speedier to load, and for those worried about their privacy, do not include tracking features.

Site owners who have their ads not only blocked, but replaced by ads from Brave don’t miss out entirely, however, with users able to donate the Bitcoin they earn from ads back to those very sites.

According to Brave’s FAQ:

“The Brave Ledger makes a transfer of the user revenue share to your Brave wallet! You have two choices: you can “donate” the funds to your favorite sites (this is the automated default); or you can transfer the funds to another Bitcoin wallet and spend them yourself.”

Mixed feelings

On one hand, the idea of paying users Bitcoin to view ads is great from a consumer perspective and although it is a take on an old idea from the 1990’s, it really does have strong potential.

That said, as someone who has published websites and even co-founded a venture capital-funded media network in years gone by, the thought of this browser hijacking ads on any site I own then replacing it with their own immediately creates a feeling of revulsion; they’re making money off other people’s content, and that’s seriously poor form.

However, after ceasing hyperventilating at the thought, rationally the Brave Browser will primarily appeal to those who already block ads anyway, and those people who do are already giving nothing back to sites who rely on advertising to begin with.

The fact that it has an option for users to donate funds gained through viewing ads back to sites they have viewed could potentially be a new source of revenue from users who would otherwise have never viewed ads on the sites they were visiting.

How it all plays out we won’t know until the full 1.0 version launches in May, but if you want to play with the pre-release version of Brave (the ability to get paid to view ads isn’t there yet, but the ad blocker is) you can download it here.

Image via Brave.com