It’s common knowledge that tech companies are after our information. They make money by selling data to advertisers, who then convert that into pinpoint-accurate advertisements that get us to click and buy products.

Depending on your side of the process — consumer or advertiser — you’re either selling your data away or making big profits. If you’re part of the 69.09 percent of the internet that uses Google’s Chrome browser, you’re giving out way more information than you’d like.

According to Geoffrey Fowler, a technology columnist at The Washingon Post, Google’s web client is similar to “surveillance software,” if you break it open. Whether you’re on mobile or web, location settings off or not, Chrome is telling Google what you’re searching, where you’re browsing, and who you’re communicating with.

Private Browsing Is Almost Non-Existent

This snooping comes in the form of “cookies,” which are pieces of data that lock into your computer and log your activity.

While not always terrible — some cookies store your username and password for quick logins — it’s tracking cookies that are the real danger. These privacy-breaking trackers keep a long history of your information, like which ads you’re clicking on.

While you’re technically opting-into cookies like this, you don’t have much of choice. Moreover, one study looked at 84,658 webpages within the top 10,000 websites of February 2019 to examine their tracking methods. Of these, 92 percent had trackers, and only 17.83 percent of those were “safe.”

For those aware of the fight for privacy, this news is not shocking. There are browsers out there, such as Mozilla’s Firefox, that help block trackers and protect against other forms of invasion. However, there’s a growing competitor in Brave Browser — a crypto-based platform that blocks trackers, malicious advertisements, and more.

Alternative Routes Towards Internet Freedom

Ironically, Brave is built on the Chromium platform and lead by a co-founder of Firefox, Brandon Eich.

Here, users can tell the browser to block trackers and ads on one site and enable them on others. Alternatively, websites and creators that opt-in to Brave’s program can accept BAT tokens instead of show advertisements. The longer a user is on a site, the more BAT they pay out while enjoying a tracker-free experience. These tokens then convert into the website’s local currency — thus removing the need for trackers and ads.

Of course, users and publishers would need to make the transition — but Brave has been making itself known across the internet. The BAT blockchain ensures transparency and reliability, not to mention the fact that it’s open-source. Openness is critical when it comes to Web 3.0. Users must be made aware of crypto and blockchain-based browsers for this new model to work. Otherwise, the fight for privacy online will go to these big advertisers.

What do you think of the current state of privacy online? Are blockchain and crypto browsers the way to go? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

[Editor’s Note: BeInCrypto has no relationship with Brave Browser. This article should not be taken as an explicit endorsement.]