The Brave browser automatically adds its own referral code to the URLs entered for certain cryptocurrency exchange sites to earn money. Brave will disable this autocomplete feature in a subsequent release.
When a Brave user types in the url for binance.com, binance.us, coinbase.com, ledger.com, and trezor.io, the browser adds referral code itself as an autocomplete suggestion. Also in searches on bitcoin, btc, ethereum, eth, litecoin, ltc and bnb, Brave gives suggestions of URLs with referral code. The code informs the relevant crypto exchanges that the traffic has been routed to the site through the browser. Brave makes money with this.
Brave does not appear to have communicated its referral program despite legal obligations to be transparent about affiliate links. Twitter user Cryptonator1337 discovered its existence. However, when visiting Coinbase via the referral url, it appears that there is an agreement with that site: ‘Brave Software International invited you to try Coinbase!’. That reports David Gerard, who writes about cryptocurrencies.
Brave Software CEO Brendan Eich writes that his company will pull the code from the autocomplete suggestions. On GitHub, a fix request states that as a workaround, users can disable the Show Brave suggested sites functionality in autocomplete suggestions at brave://settings/appearance:. A June 11 release has applied a fix that disables the feature for all users. According to Eich it was about a mistake.