Brave takes step closer to sensible business model by building subscription VPN into the iOS version of its browser

Privacy-centric startup Brave has included a subscription VPN service in its iOS browser. Those willing to fork over $9.99 a month, or $99.99 for a whole year, get access to a VPN from security outfit Guardian. In addition to providing an encrypted tunnel for those times you're on a public Wi-Fi hotspot, the service also …

[TheFurryCircle]

Leaving aside the obvious difficulty with putting ads into an 'ad-free' browser in the first place, my experience of Brave's ads is that they all look kinda dodgy. I'm not saying that they are, but they look questionable - just endless cryptocurrency outfits. Also, if you enable Brave Rewards then the ads actually become very intrusive - pop up from the task bar that need nuking.

That said, I'd like Brave to succeed, so maybe the VPN option would help, although as the article suggests probably doesn't provide enough revenue for the long haul.

[Joe Drunk]

And there lies the problem with today's internet. Ad slingers assume absolutely NO responsibility for what service or merchandise they are serving. As long as they get paid, who cares. Your PC is infected, click here to clean it, hot chick wants to chat with u, bitcoin, cheap IPhones, etc.

Ad-slingers: You're ALL scammers. I block all of you, no exceptions. I don't care if you lose money. Waaa. Waaa. That's like the meth dealer telling me he has to keep doing what he does to stay in business.

You don't need Brave - Chromium based browser on desktop + Ublock origin (or Mozilla + UBlock origin) or Bromite on Android. Can't speak for IOS, don't on any kit.

[Aristotles slow and dimwitted horse]

Who do you trust...

Brave do seem to be in it for the right reasons, but as the story says, the VPN market is crowded with providers; some good, but also many chancers and more disreputable providers playing both fast and loose with your data and your cash.

I've been with my dedicated provider for 4 years without issue, and they charge 50% less per month than what Brave want so I'll be sticking with them.

[Anonymous Coward]

VNP, yeah that's going to work really well for RoW.

Brave, Inc. 512 Second Street, Floor 2 San Francisco, CA 94107

The rest of this infrastructure is located in the United States, which is where information is processed and stored.

[Stuart Halliday]

Matter of trust

How do you trust your chosen VPN?

I've yet to see any VPN provider who has a security certificate issued by a reputable company.

They say they don't keep logs. But at least one was caught with logs recently.

A reputable security company making surprised visits would go a long way towards trust...

[hayzoos]

Re: Matter of trust

"a security certificate issued by a reputable company"

This is sort of a hypothetical question, I am not seeking an answer, but... Is there a reputable company that issues security certificates?

[Pascal Monett]

The browser business is really tough

But the VPN business is almost worse. Practically all of them promise they don't keep logs, but then we regularly get articles about discovering that many of them do.

Besides, using a VPN does not protect your privacy - it only allows you to access stuff that is country-restricted.

And let's not even mention the people who use VPNs or TOR to access their Facebook account. Bloody morons.

I do use Brave, especially on my phone. The amount of data and time it saves is just gob-smacking. With Brave, surfing on 4G is practically as fast as my fiber line at home. All the other mobile phone browsers can take a hike. But I do not participate in the Rewards scheme. I don't trust ad brokers, they're all lying thieves who will not even blink when pushing malware-riddled stuff.

[hayzoos]

Re: The browser business is really tough

"using a VPN does not protect your privacy - it only allows you to access stuff that is country-restricted"

The whole point behind a VPN is to establish an encrypted tunnel connection between two points across a public network, virtually a private network. It is not meant to provide privacy beyond the VPN tunnel. My VPN does exactly this and it is exactly what I need when I cannot trust the hotel WiFi, my ISP, my mobile data carrier. I reside in the US and the only real choice of ISP I have is Comcast. Comcast has a track record of snooping on traffic, DNS redirect and "traffic management of competitive streaming" as an example. Where I travel (US only) and need mobile service, only AT&T has the coverage. AT&T has a track record of snooping on traffic, supercookies as an example. Combine these facts with the fact that no public WiFi can be trusted and a VPN is not just a nice to have, but a necessity.

My VPN fails miserably at allowing access to stuff that is country-restricted since both on and off points are in the US. A proxy can provide access to county-restricted stuff as well but without the privacy of the encrypted connection.

I would feel comfortable using my VPN to access my facebook account, if I had one. The privacy provided by my VPN is not impacted by accessing a public forum like The Reg forums.

The whole not keeping logs bit is a bit over the top, but simply using a VPN can be argued that you are up to no good. Anything can be made to look suspicious. The current lot of humans seem to be gullible enough to believe anything if presented in the right way.

BTW, I have verified my VPN does not keep logs, I have console access to be able to audit things like that. I have implemented my own VPN. Not something the typical human can pull off though.

[mark l 2]

Every man and his dog is attempting to flog you a VPN, if its not TV ads for NordVPN nearly every video on Youtube these days seem to be sponsored by some VPN provider. So I am not sure how many people who don't already have a VPN and who want one are left who would be willing to subscribe to Brave VPN service. But I hope it does bring in enough new customers to keep alternative browsers like Braze and Firefox alive.

[julian.smith]

Dead On Arrival

A browser based on advertising wants to sell a no advertising option

WTF

Zero cred

Who would buy this scam?

[hayzoos]

Re: Dead On Arrival

Oh, it's even worse. A browser based on privacy sells ads.