A complete guide to Basic Attention Token (BAT) for content creators and YouTubers.

With Facebook, Google, Amazon, and many others recording our every internet moves, we need to be more cautious with our private data. The Brave browser is what we get when the creator of JavaScript and co-founder of Mozilla, tries to find a solution.

The screenshot is taken from https://brave.com/

Brendan Eich the creator of JavaScript and co-founder of Mozilla, and Brian Bondy, formerly of Khan Academy and Mozilla, created the Brave browser to make the relationship between users, advertisers, and content creators, healthier. 

Founded on 28 May 2015, Brave Software Inc used the free and open-source project Chromium (like Opera and Edge browsers) that developed by companies like Google, Microsoft, Yandex, and more eleven years ago, to create their own browser. 

Brave’s Security and Privacy Features.

The first version was released on 13th November 2019 and included features like a built-in ad-blocker with a focus on privacy, security, and speed. The main “impression-point” will be the new tab screen of the browser. 

The new tab screen of the Brave browser.

There you can see how many ads and trackers have been blocked by the browser and how much of a loading/wait time we as users have saved from the process. The result is that we will see blank spaces exactly where a website would normally display ads.

The shield function can also save us from cross-site trackers and cookies and can turn every website’s connection to the more secure https protocol, instead of the plain http, if the website has an SSL certificate. This means that our connection when we view a website is more secure than normally. Of course, we can activate and deactivate the shields at any point.

The shield options window on the Brave browser.

Another impressive feature is that they have included the usage of Tor network privacy in their incognito mode. Most of the browsers track our activity also in incognito mode and we are not as incognito as we think we are. By using the Tor network, our computer connect to a chain of worldwide servers, different at any time, before it connects to the website we want to see. That way we stay truly anonymous and secure while we surf the internet. Plus, it encourages you to use Duckduckgo as your main search engine in the incognito mode so that your searches stay also private. 

The incognito window of the Brave browser.

Because they used the same base source-code as Google’s Chrome, Brave Browser can have access to the huge library pf Google Chrome add-ons through the Google webstore. You can find the webstore here. It is also worth mentioning that Brave uses its own native password manager.

As most of the big players in the Browser industry, Brave also includes versions for iOS, Android, Windows, and/or OSX users, and offers the ability to sync your data securely between these.

Basic Attention Token (BAT)

  • Country of Origins: USA
  • Company Behind: Brave Software, Inc
  • Marketcap: $406,176,114
  • Current Price Per Cryptocurrency: $0.27
  • Website: https://brave.com/

But Brave, as I mentioned, is not just about security and privacy. It is all about content. Brave Software Inc offered their initial cryptocurrency coin on 31 May 2017. BAT is an open-source decentralized ad exchange platform built on the Ethereum blockchain. Imagine it as the open-source version of Google’s Adsense.

For Advertisers

With this platform, advertisers can promote their message across all Brave users. The ad will create a small pop-up on the right corner of the browser with its message. The user can either close the window or click onto it and check the link. Of course, we can deactivate the ad feature of Brave so can browse undisturbed through the internet.

For Users

By viewing these ads the user can earn BAT tokens, a form of cryptocurrency that can be exchanged for dollars, euros, and other fiat currencies. 

Example of a Brave advertisement. (in French)

For Content Creators

Users that bought or earned BAT tokens can tip verified content creators through-out the internet or gift them a monthly contribution. Creators then receive these tokens in their integrated cryptocurrency wallet on their Brave browser. You can read the publisher terms of service in the following link: https://basicattentiontoken.org/publisher-terms-of-service/

Verifying your Account

Anybody can become a verified content creator by following the following process.

Step 1. Go to https://creators.brave.com/sign-up. Add your email and check the “I agree to Brave’s terms and condition”. Then click on the “create account” button. You will then receive an email with a unique one-time-use link. The same process is followed for our login page.
After going to our email and clicking to the unique one-time-use link, we will be redirected to the “Brave Rewards Creators” screen. From there we can click on the “+ Add Channel Button” and begin adding our Website, Twitter, and/or other channels that we might have.
As content creators, we can receive tips, and/or monthly contribution with our Website, Youtube channel, Twitch channel, Twitter, Vimeo channel, Reddit, and/or Github account.
Adding our social media accounts needs just authorization from the website itself. It is pretty straight forward. A website on the other side requires a few steps before it is added. When we begin adding a website, we need first to enter our domain name. Brave can optionally serve advertisements to the Brave users who visit our website.
If you are using WordPress you need to first download and install the Brave payment verification plugin from the WordPress store. Then you can the verification code in it and save it. Then your Brave content creator account and your website will be connected. NOTE that the verification process may take 1 or 2 days.
The Brave payments verification WordPress plugin.
At this point, Brave will require your website to use the https protocol. If you use WordPress you need first to enable the SSL certification on your website through your host provider and then to download and install a plugin like “Really Simple SSL” to turn your connection from http to https.
The above include some of the content creators that use Brave Rewards Creator service.

Referrals

The third way one can earn through the Brave browser and BAT is referrals. By adding any channel you will be provided with an affiliate link. Every new user you’re referring to the browser earns you $5. IF you are interested in supporting my content, my referral affiliate link is https://brave.com/dim007.

Uphold

After earning your first BAT tokens they will be available to your Brave browser. You can withdraw at any cryptocurrency wallet or Bank through a company called Uphold. More about this company on https://uphold.com/en/about-us/company.

The screenshot is taken from https://uphold.com/
After creating a wallet with Uphold through your Brave browser you will end to your Uphold dashboard. From there you can see your balance from your channels and your Browser. You will need to verify your account by taking one photo of your passport or your ID, plus a selfie photo and a selfie video through their website. The step are straight forward to follow.

After this process, you will b able to convert, withdraw, or deposit your BATs to any bank or wallet.

The payments through Brave will be available to you on a monthly basis. 

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