The success of web browser Brave is a bad sign for Google - here’s why
Is 2022 the year of the private web browser?
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Privacy-centric webbrowserBrave has surpassed 50 million active monthly users for the first time, the company has announced.
In ablog post, Brave says the milestone represents the fifth time the browser’s user base has doubled in as many years. The service also currently attracts more than 15 million daily active users, another high water mark.
Brave credits a range of new features and products for the continued growth, including an in-built crypto wallet and private search engine. But the company also acknowledged it has benefited from wider consumer trends.
“Users all over the world are looking for a private, safe and faster browsing experience, along with tools that give them independence from Big Tech. This long term and sustainable growth reflects that user desire,” said Brave.
A paradigm shift?
The uptake of privacy-centric browsers,VPNs,proxies,encrypted emailand otherprivacy toolsin recent years hints at a shift in attitudes that could have major ramifications for the largest technology companies in the world, whose businesses are predicated on the collection of vast amounts of data.
Since the Snowden leaks and Cambridge Analytica scandal in particular, public awareness of the importance of data privacy has risen steeply. Generally, consumers are more wary about the information they share with Big Tech companies, and more savvy about how their information is used and monetized in the data economy.
We suspect this trend may begin to register more clearly in the web browser market soon. Currently,GoogleChrome dominates the space with a63.8% market share, followed by Apple’s Safari (19.6%) and Microsoft Edge (4%). However, privacy-centric services operated by smaller players are beginning to gather steam.
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Although Brave’s 50 million-strong user base represents just 1% of the market, based ondataon the total number of web users from Statista, its rate of growth will give the likes of Google pause for thought. And that’s despite the inherent inconveniences; this writer can attest that Brave frequently breaks website functionality as a result of its no-tolerance policy on cookies.
Although Google has made a show of improving its privacy practices and planning for the demise of third-party cookies, proposed alternatives likeFLoChave been panned by privacy advocates, who say the solutions create as many problems as they solve.
There is also plenty of evidence Big Tech companies still cannot be trusted to protect the interests of users. This week, for example, both Google and Facebook wereslapped with significant finesfor cookie-related breaches of EU privacy laws. The patience of consumers is surely wearing thin.
Joel Khalili is the News and Features Editor at TechRadar Pro, covering cybersecurity, data privacy, cloud, AI, blockchain, internet infrastructure, 5G, data storage and computing. He’s responsible for curating our news content, as well as commissioning and producing features on the technologies that are transforming the way the world does business.
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