The advent of blockchain browsers and the new DLT

Major technology giants have become larger than entire countries in recent years and their power and domination of the tech sector has become a source of concern for smaller companies who are squeezed out of the space as well as end users like us who are having our rights to privacy and free speech curtailed. This is where blockchain technology is rising to the occasion as the newest tech on the planet and is set to become the Web 3.0, not only surpassing the old systems but also decentralising power and control, returning our rights and leveling the playing field for a change.

The blockchain revolution for online protection

The advent of blockchain technology can be likened to the emergence of the internet in the nineties. The world in general is still unaware of the vast opportunity and facility it provides. Some are even cautious, but the trend is shifting, particularly as internet users increase their data transfers with the vast amount of information now available, while simultaneously becoming more aware of the value of their own personal data as well as the increased security risks facing us daily.

source

The scandals around Facebook harvesting our data and potentially monetising it as well as the mistrust of Google in tracking our internet use has led to a need for more security and control among users who spend increasing more of their lives online. Our digital identity is still in the hands of traditional web browsers but now blockchain is solving that vulnerability with it’s capacity for decentralization, anonymity and privacy, as seen in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which are the very embodiment of this principle.

Opera sings the new tune

Cryptographic developments in blockchain technology have now led to new web browsers emerging which provide just these features. Let’s take a look at them one by one. To begin with the Norwegian-based Opera browser has just in the past month launched an iOS version of its mobile web browser, called Opera Touch. It supports the Ethereum Web3 app programming interface (API) that can handle Eth Dapps and all ERC-20 tokens, stable coins and non-fungible tokens, with a built-in crypto wallet.

The Android version was launched late last year already, but with this recent breakthrough, Opera becomes the first blockchain browser with Web3 and crypto wallet to be made available on iOS.

“We believe that all modern browsers should integrate a crypto wallet. This will enable new business models to emerge on the web. Opera is the first browser to make using crypto on the Web seamless and easy. Following a strong demand from the crypto- community, we are now making this experience available on iOS.”

Charles Hamel, Head of crypto at Opera.

Brave not scared to lead the way

The Brave browser, launched in 2015 already by the creator of Mozilla and JavaScript, has really set the trend in blockchain browser functionality. It is open source and operates on on the basis of Google’s Chromium engine. Its popularity lies in the fact that is has a built-in ad blocker that removes all banners and pop-ups. Added to that is its own BAT cryptocurrency and built-in crypto wallet. Viewers of specific ads can actually be compensated in BAT tokens for their attention, thus the name Basic Attention Token (BAT).

With over 5.5 million individual monthly active users, according to its developers as of January this year, they have seen a 500% growth through 2018, and boast 22% speed improvement on desktop devices. Also they are constantly growing in their partnerships with other companies like Duckduckgo, IBM and others. HTC will even add the Brave as their default browser as they launch the world’s first integrated blockchain smartphone for Dapps. Add to that the built-in VPN service, TOR browser and Bitcoin micro pay system and you have the most cutting edge tech available on the market today.

Orchid blooms

Another blockchain startup, this time out of America called Orchid Labs, has already raised $43 million out of a proposed $125 million to develop an anonymous browser, which has been in the pipeline since 2017. This could be an alternative to TOR and VPNs. Their goal is to liberate those users in parts of the world under strict government censorship with their anonymous access platform. They also have a cryptocurrency of their own called the Orchid coin based on a decentralised Ethereum-based blockchain.

Beaker full of open source

Another open source P2P decentralized browser is Beaker, developed just last year, in partnership with the Dat project, which, according to the Datprotocol website, provides public-key-addressed file archives which can be synched securely and browsed on demand

“The Web's value flows from the people who use it, yet our online experiences are dictated by corporations whose incentives rarely align with our own. We believe the Web can (and must) be a people-first platform, where everybody is invited to create, personalize, and share.”

Beakerbrowser website

The overall goal with Beaker is to facilitate the creation and hosting of websites directly on the browser by creating a local folder. Visitors can also copy their files into local folders that will then appear as a torrent. Then with the peer-to-peer (P2P) network, files can be shared and explored, copied or changed. The team actually uses its own Hashbase cloud service, which allows users to maintain constant access to Dat sites, even when the local copies are offline. Privacy is sacrificed in this system though, as all URL owners can see who is accessing or hosting it. However, the primary feature of this browser is the secure file sharing.

The future of browsers

Google is apparently working on its own blockchain-based technology to support and improve security for its cloud storage facility, though they are slow to the party and holding their cards close to their chest. Similarly Firefox does currently block website owners from tracking digital fingerprints as well as attempted hidden crypto mining scripts, but is yet to show any interest in blockchain tech as such. As a result they may end up lagging behind as users move to more secure browsers that offer better privacy via the blockchain, like Brave and others.

Ultimately the era of Web3.0 will significantly change the browsing experience, though we will still have to see just where AI fits into all of the new evolutions.

Currently, new browsers still use the old software, and just add extensions that support Dapps and crypto wallets in a hybridised way. So there is a long way to go and many questions to be answered as blockchain marches onward, slowly replacing those old titans of Silicon Valley with new innovators in the coming years.

Do you use any of the browsers mentioned here?

Let us know your experiences in the comments below.