Users control micropayments via ad-blocking browser

The Brave ad-blocking browser enables users to control which publishers receive their bitcoin-based micropayments via a preference menu.

We recently covered a Google Chrome plugin that enables users to spread micropayments across the sites that they frequently visit, operating as a subscription-based service that allots users’ funds proportionally. Now an adblocking browser is aiming to give users control over who receives their micropayment.

Brave, an adblocking browser, has introduced Brave Payments, a bitcoin-based micropayment system. Brave issues users with a free bitcoin wallet, and withdraws funds from this to pay publishers, with funds either apportioned automatically or controlled by users, while user anonymity is secured using Anonize software, disrupting links between visited sites and user identification. Publishers are then contacted whenever they build up a USD 10 equivalent BTC payment, which they can deposit into a bitcoin wallet. While the Brave browser is available for free download, a 5-percent transaction fee is charged per micropayment.

How can online publishers be further incentivized to make the switch from advertising revenue to micropayments?