Brave is unethical. The key problem is they insert themselves into the revenue s... (2024)


Brave is unethical. The key problem is they insert themselves into the revenue stream without the consent of the web publishers. It's fine to block ads entirely, but substituting your own ads and collecting money from that is wrong.

Brave is unethical. The key problem is they insert themselves into the revenue s... (1)

fastball on Nov 13, 2019 | next [–]


I'm not sure I see the clear cut ethical dilemma you do.

Option 1. block all ads, publishers receive no revenue.

Option 2. block all ads, user opts in to unrelated ads, user can choose to give some of the proceeds of seeing those ads to publishers they utilize.

How can (2) possibly be worse than (1)?

Brave is unethical. The key problem is they insert themselves into the revenue s... (2)

denismi on Nov 13, 2019 | parent | next [–]


There's also:

Option 0. block no ads, publishers receive all of the applicable revenue from their preferred network

It isn't clear to me from the website what happens if the publisher is unaware or unable or unwilling to claim revenue generated through this fringe browser's alternative revenue mechanism. Who ends up with that money? Is advertising even shown? Is the user aware of whether or not the publisher is in a position to claim revenues of the ads they're seeing?

Depending on the answers to those questions, the addition of (2) could be worse for these publishers if it makes some users who otherwise would've (begrudgingly or otherwise) chosen option (0) feel morally justified in switching over to (2), converting their real (0)-derived revenues into unrealised (2)-derived theoretical revenues.

Brave is unethical. The key problem is they insert themselves into the revenue s... (3)

jancsika on Nov 13, 2019 | root | parent | next [–]


> Option 0. block no ads, publishers receive all of the applicable revenue from their preferred network

Unfortunately, that is likely not an optimally ethical reference state for the browser. Navigating with no ad blocker leaves the user open to all kinds of nasty tracking, auto-loading, and general trickery. When taken together that shady behavior can be seen by a reasonable person to outweigh the benefits of maximizing revenue for the user's favorite sites.

Case in point: if I want to open a pdf music score from IMSLP, IMSLP displays an ad with the prominent text "Download PDF" in it. If I follow the ad it eventually prompts me to install a Chrome extension. Do you think it's wise to install that extension?

In general I trust that IMSLP is an ethical site-- after all, they've spent a lot of effort to ensure that nobody downloads a score that is still under copyright in the country where the user is located. Did they forget to check a box to disallow misleading ads for their site? If there's no such checkbox "preferred network" is quite a euphemism and the correct/ethical reference state for browsers is with ublock origin installed.

Edit: just to be clear-- 2 could still be worse than 1 depending on how Brave browser behaves. But for most practical uses of the web by non-technical users, your 0 is almost always a worse ethical choice than 1.

Brave is unethical. The key problem is they insert themselves into the revenue s... (4)

nilkn on Nov 13, 2019 | root | parent | prev | next [–]


Option 0 is no longer an option because ads are no longer just ads. They are malicious trackers that collect as much data about you as possible and sell it all over the place. It's unethical for a site to even host such "ads" as a method of monetization.

Brave is unethical. The key problem is they insert themselves into the revenue s... (5)

lern_too_spel on Nov 13, 2019 | parent | prev | next [–]


Because it inserts a middleman who takes a cut that the publisher did not enter into an agreement with. If it was just users giving to publishers, that would be fine. Having a middleman hold the publisher's monetization hostage is ethically dubious for the middleman.

Consider that I could pirate a movie, or I could pirate it and pay the creators directly, leaving out the distributors the creators contracted with. I fully agree that the second is slightly more ethical than the first, even though the creator agreed to neither. The problem occurs when some Tube site distributes the videos without the creators' consent, collects money from the viewers, takes a cut, and passes the rest to the creator. The Tube site is ethically wrong.

Brave is unethical. The key problem is they insert themselves into the revenue s... (6)

_fnhr on Nov 13, 2019 | root | parent | next [–]


But nobody is holding anything hostage. When you use Brave, you can opt-in to display ads on your Browser, and while doing so still get ads from Brave. So the choice to cut-off ads from the content publisher is yours. If you think it's unethical - just do not block the ads.

Brave is unethical. The key problem is they insert themselves into the revenue s... (7)

lern_too_spel on Nov 13, 2019 | root | parent | next [–]


Brave is holding the publisher's monetization hostage. Again, my issue is not with the user but with Brave.

Brave is unethical. The key problem is they insert themselves into the revenue s... (8)

fastball on Nov 14, 2019 | root | parent | next [–]


But... they're not though.

Ad-blocking in Brave (as it already exists in every other browser via plugins) is optional.

Brave ads (a paradigm which doesn't exist in any other browser) are optional.

You can disable both, enable both, or disable one and not the other. The choice is absolutely on the user and Brave isn't holding anything hostage.

Brave is unethical. The key problem is they insert themselves into the revenue s... (9)

lern_too_spel on Nov 15, 2019 | root | parent | next [–]


Using a piracy tube is also optional. That doesn't make the people running the privacy tube any more ethical. Brave is replacing a monetization scheme that the publisher willingly entered into with one where Brave inserts itself into the existing monetization flow and stops the monetization completely unless the publisher deals with Brave. Similarly, the tube sites stop monetization for its users unless the creators deal with them.

You're still confusing who is at fault here.

Brave is unethical. The key problem is they insert themselves into the revenue s... (10)

Ajedi32 on Nov 13, 2019 | root | parent | prev | next [–]


> Having a middleman hold the publisher's monetization hostage is ethically dubious for the middleman.

I think that's why they went with a cryptocurrency for payment. Brave isn't a middleman, or at least there's no technical reason why they have to be. Users pay publishers directly, using tokens that they earn from Brave in exchange for viewing ads.

Brave is unethical. The key problem is they insert themselves into the revenue s... (11)

bsclifton on Nov 13, 2019 | root | parent | prev | next [–]


Tokens only go to verified publishers. Signing up to receive them is basically that consent. Otherwise (site or channel not verified), the transaction never leaves the user's browser

wikipedia.org, slashdot.org, and other sites that show a purple checkmark in the URL bar have gone through that verification process

Brave is unethical. The key problem is they insert themselves into the revenue s... (12)

SamBam on Nov 13, 2019 | root | parent | next [–]


"I blocked your source of revenue, now I'm holding some money which you can either sign up to receive a fraction of, or don't and you won't get any" doesn't sound like "consent" to me.

Brave is unethical. The key problem is they insert themselves into the revenue s... (13)

bsclifton on Nov 13, 2019 | root | parent | next [–]


Setting aside the rewards program, people can and will use ad-blockers. Even if those were illegal for some reason, there are lists available (such as hosts, https://github.com/StevenBlack/hosts) where you can make known tracking/advertising/etc hostnames non-routable

Are you saying that site owners should feel violated by folks installing ad-blockers (or using host files)?

Brave is unethical. The key problem is they insert themselves into the revenue s... (14)

SamBam on Nov 14, 2019 | root | parent | next [–]


No one believes that ad blockers are good for content creators.

Brave, however, positions itself as being good for creators with its rewards program. A user may be forgiven for thinking that this is actually better for creators: "Earn rewards and give back to your favorite Creators. Support your favorite sites with micropayments."

If Brave takes away revenue from the creators, and offers them a fraction of that revenue back, that's one thing. BUT you can't turn around and say that a creator accepting that fraction is "consent" to the whole program.

That's what I was saying.

Brave is unethical. The key problem is they insert themselves into the revenue s... (15)

DHPersonal on Nov 13, 2019 | root | parent | prev | next [–]


I think you have a point, but the Brave Rewards program can also be seen as a redistribution system. For the sites that one wishes to support, one can choose to disable the ad-blocking system in Brave and see the standard ads. For the sites that are distributing bad advertisem*nts, the ad-blocking system is useful and might be wise to enable. The in-browser ads then give a small funding to the user who sends it back to the sites that were unblocked, further increasing their revenue.

Brave is unethical. The key problem is they insert themselves into the revenue s... (16)

buboard on Nov 13, 2019 | prev | next [–]


The idea is to nudge advertisers and publishers towards a more transparent model without middlemen. Unethical is what's happening today, with middlemen making obscene profits. It's more like civil disobedience than unethical.

Brave is unethical. The key problem is they insert themselves into the revenue s... (17)

jamiequint on Nov 13, 2019 | parent | next [–]


Middlemen are not ipso facto unethical.

The publishers have voluntarily opted-in to ad exchanges because those exchanges provide value by aggregating demand in a way that would be difficult for all but the largest publishers to do themselves (and the largest publishers do, which is why FB/Google/Snap/Twitter/etc all sell their own ads).

It's not as if anyone is forcing publishers to not deal directly with buyers. The exchanges certainly don't have the market power to do so.

Brave is unethical. The key problem is they insert themselves into the revenue s... (18)

buboard on Nov 13, 2019 | root | parent | next [–]


e.g. when facebook took the page followers that people worked to acquire, and made them pay for users who intently subscribed to them, that was undestandable from a revenue-generating side, but unethical. Also when google forces people to pay the google tax.

Brave is unethical. The key problem is they insert themselves into the revenue s... (19)

mrzimmerman on Nov 13, 2019 | prev | next [–]


I've been using Brave for a few months and I've never seen it substitute it's own ads within any applications or websites.

It instead uses MacOS notifications to show ads which open new browser tabs when you click on them. So it does block ads entirely and then shows it's own ads through a separate channel.

Brave is unethical. The key problem is they insert themselves into the revenue s... (20)

cwkoss on Nov 13, 2019 | prev [–]


Modern online advertising is more unethical, so shrug

Brave is unethical. The key problem is they insert themselves into the revenue s... (2024)

FAQs

What are the 3 factors of unethical behavior? ›

The three individual factors influencing ethical behaviour are: Values, Beliefs and Referent others (role models/influencers). Overall a Leaders behaviour was identified as having the biggest impact on ethical behaviour in organizations. This refers to the negative aspects of a Leaders behaviour.

What is an unethical issue? ›

Unethical behavior can be defined as actions that are against social norms or acts that are considered unacceptable to the public. Ethical behavior is the complete opposite of unethical behavior. Ethical behavior follows the majority of social norms and such actions are acceptable to the public.

What is one unethical issue in business? ›

1. Harassment and Discrimination in the Workplace. Harassment and discrimination are arguably the largest ethical issues that impact business owners today.

What are 5 examples of unethical behavior in business? ›

Examples of Unethical Behavior
  • Exploiting workers.
  • Over-billing customers.
  • Exploiting tax loopholes.
  • Dumping toxins into the air or water.
  • Prescribing unnecessary medical procedures.
  • Covering up car defects.
  • Designing phones so that users accidentally accept data charges.
  • Creating fake identities.
Sep 23, 2021

What are three examples of unethical? ›

Asking for recognition for someone else's job, calling in sick to go to the hill station, sabotaging someone else's work, and, in sales, falsifying the product or service to fulfill the target are all examples of unethical behavior in the workplace.

What are the four common causes of unethical behavior? ›

Why Do Employees Make Unethical Decisions?
  • Pressure to Succeed. Employees may choose to act unethically based on unrealistic expectations to succeed. ...
  • Employees Are Afraid to Speak Up. ...
  • Lack of Training. ...
  • There's No Policy for Reporting. ...
  • Managers Setting Bad Examples.

What causes unethical issues? ›

Too often people lapse into the bad behavior of others. People behave unethically because they tend to perceive questionable behaviors exhibited by people who are similar to them – like their co-workers – to be more acceptable than those exhibited by people who they perceive as dissimilar, researchers say.

What are the unethical ways to make money? ›

Arms, tobacco, alcohol, gambling and p*rnography companies are widely considered as some of the most unethical industries to invest it.

What is unethical behavior in the workplace? ›

The ERC reported that employees most often observe the following five unethical behaviors in the workplace: 1) employees misusing company time, 2) supervisors abusing subordinates, 3) employees stealing from their employers, 4) employees lying to their employers, and 5) employees violating company internet policies.

What are unethical issues with customers? ›

Hoarding, cheating, corruption, profiteering and engaging in dishonest acts are some of the manifold aspects of unethical customer behaviour (UCB). Such behaviours demand attention as they damage firms, harm their employees and deprive other customers from positive shopping experiences.

What is an example sentence for unethical? ›

You might still be out of a job because of his unethical conduct. The unethical behaviour of the energy companies is disgraceful. But recently we have seen just what the cost of unethical behaviour can be. They are not moral issues involving something clearly wrong or unethical.

What are the 6 types of unethical behaviour? ›

The resulting typology of unethical organizational communication consisted of six general categories: coercive, destructive, deceptive, intrusive, secretive, and manipulative-exploitative.

What is an example of an unethical leader? ›

Unethical leader behaviors such as falsifying information, promoting their own self-serving personal vision; censure opposing views; demand their own decisions be accepted without question; engage in one-way communication; show insensitivity to followers' needs; and rely on convenient external moral standards to ...

What are 5 factors that influence ethical or unethical behavior? ›

Many individual factors affect a person's ethical behavior at work, such as knowledge, values, personal goals, morals and personality. The more information that you have about a subject, the better chance you will make an informed, ethical decision.

What are 4 consequences of unethical behaviour at the workplace? ›

You can lose your job and reputation, organizations can lose their credibility, general morale and productivity can decline, or the behaviour can result in significant fines and/or financial loss.

How do you deal with unethical situation and examples? ›

How To Handle Unethical Situations at Work
  • Define Exactly What Is Wrong. When you notice unethical activity around you, it is important to document as much as possible. ...
  • Pursue a Solution at Work. Depending on the situation, you may be able to pursue a simple and easy solution to the problem at work. ...
  • Protect Yourself.
Oct 13, 2020

What is an example of unethical behavior in social work? ›

Examples include supervisors who ask social workers to exaggerate service utilization data supplied to funders, ignore eligibility criteria for agency services to enhance revenue, and alter client records in advance of a site visit conducted by an accreditation agency.

What is an example of moral but unethical? ›

A moral action can also be unethical. A lawyer who tells the court that his client is guilty may be acting out of a moral desire to see justice done, but this is deeply unethical because it violates the attorney-client privilege.

What are the three main factors that affect ethical behavior in the workplace? ›

Individual, social, and opportunity factors all affect the level of ethical behavior in an organization.

What is unethical money? ›

Unethical investments can broadly be described as investments in companies and organizations with dubious business principles. This can mean purchasing a few shares or accepting a board seat at a company that revels in questionable practices. Either way, it is a choice that depends on one's own moral leanings.

What is unethical strategy? ›

Unethical tactics are those meant to deceive or harm others with no overwhelming individual or societal good that outweighs the harm of deceit. More often than purely unethical, a tactic may be ethically ambiguous.

What are three possible unethical practices in the workplace? ›

Common unethical behaviours in the workplace

This can be staff showing up late, taking longer or additional breaks, falsifying time sheets, or running personal errands on work time. These bad habits can quickly spread to other employees.

How do companies deal with unethical behavior? ›

Reinforce Consequences for Unethical Behavior

Start by informing new employees of the rules during their orientation sessions. Make sure all new workers know the consequences of policy violations. If an employee acts unethically, refer to the code of conduct and take the necessary measures to warn or terminate.

What is unethical sales behavior? ›

Relative to interactions with their sales organizations, unethical behavior such as not following policies or inaccurately reporting of time or expenses may be a way for salespeople to cope with feelings that they are not well supported by their organization.

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False accounting, sexual harassment, data privacy, nepotism, discrimination—these are just some of the ethical dilemmas that happen in today's workplace. Many business owners and managers will deal with ethical issues at some point in their career.

How can you say it is unethical? ›

unethical
  1. corrupt.
  2. illegal.
  3. improper.
  4. unfair.
  5. unprofessional.
  6. unscrupulous.
  7. wrong.
  8. cheating.

What are the two kinds of unethical behavior? ›

Two kinds of unethical behavior are most common: (1) economic espionage and (2) corruption.

What is ethical example? ›

Ethics, for example, refers to those standards that impose the reasonable obligations to refrain from rape, stealing, murder, assault, slander, and fraud. Ethical standards also include those that enjoin virtues of honesty, compassion, and loyalty.

What leadership style is unethical? ›

Unethical leadership can be defined as “behaviors conducted and decisions made by organizational leaders that are illegal and/or violate moral standards, and those that impose processes and structures that promote unethical conduct by followers” (Brown and Mitchell, 2010: 588).

What are the four terms for an unethical leader? ›

Research shows these leaders are oppressive, abusive, manipulative, and calculatingly undermining (Tepper, 2007).

What are the characteristics of unethical leaders? ›

5 Hallmarks of Unethical Leadership
  • SERVES SELF FIRST. Cares about self-interest more than other-interest. ...
  • HARMS OTHERS THROUGH NEGATIVE INTERPERSONAL BEHAVIOR. Makes power and control more important than respect and civility. ...
  • INVITES OTHERS TO TAKE ACTIONS THAT HARM. ...
  • FAILS TO RESPECT DIFFERENCES. ...
  • DEFLECTS RESPONSIBILITY.
Jun 16, 2021

What are the three 3 basic levels of ethical issues? ›

Three basic principles, among those generally accepted in our cultural tradition, are particularly relevant to the ethics of research involving human subjects: the principles of respect of persons, beneficence and justice.

What are four 4 unethical work Behaviours? ›

The ERC reported that employees most often observe the following five unethical behaviors in the workplace: 1) employees misusing company time, 2) supervisors abusing subordinates, 3) employees stealing from their employers, 4) employees lying to their employers, and 5) employees violating company internet policies.

What are three 3 ethical Behaviours that are attributed to a successful worker? ›

Examples of ethical behaviors in the workplace includes; obeying the company's rules, effective communication, taking responsibility, accountability, professionalism, trust and mutual respect for your colleagues at work. These examples of ethical behaviors ensures maximum productivity output at work.

What is the 3 ethical behavior? ›

Ethical behavior includes honesty, fairness, integrity and understanding.

What are the three ethical methods? ›

Three approaches to ethics include virtue ethics, consequentialist ethics, and deontological or duty-based ethics. It's important to consider all three approaches to be a good person and do the right thing.

What are the three ethical practices? ›

Take responsibility for your actions. Act consistently with relevant regulation and law. Handle personal data and information in a professional manner. Demonstrate honesty in dealings with others.

What is one of the 4 consequences of unethical behavior? ›

You can lose your job and reputation, organizations can lose their credibility, general morale and productivity can decline, or the behaviour can result in significant fines and/or financial loss.

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