Brave browser rolls out a competitor to Zoom

The privacy-centric and crypto-friendly BRAVE browser has announced the testing version of the platform Brave Together. This video calling service is set to rival Zoom but with better security features.

What was once considered as an activity generally reserved for special occasions or to connect with family and friends abroad has now, all of a sudden, become an essential part of our daily lives. Yes, the COVID-19 outbreak presents unprecedented challenges but also opportunities, and the Brave browser has managed to pick just the right gap to explore.

Zoom’s bumpy ride to popularity

When COVID-19 began to spread its roots, one simple cloud-based peer-to-peer video communications app called Zoom unexpectedly witnessed a massive surge in demand. So much that the Zoom stock prices have almost doubled since the start of the pandemic. Nearly every institution, from government, private to public entities, started using the service to keep the business going.

Unfortunately, the overuse soon revealed some significant gaps in its security features, and the app fell into the wrong hands as malicious actors tried to gain access. Sensing the need for enhanced security, the open-source web browser, Brave browser, decided to launch its own service.

Brave Browser introduces competitor to Zoom

On Tuesday, the Brave browser introduced Brave Nightly to its Twitter followers. It is the testing version of the online calling app that enables end-to-end encryption to prevent third-parties from entering video calling rooms and accessing confidential data. Although still in a trial stage, the browser invites users to avail of the service to make unlimited calls to unlimited participants.

Although Brave Together doesn’t need the user to create an account for making video calls, the user still needs to make one to access the Brave browser.

According to the announcement, Brave Together is underpinned by the video conferencing solutions developer Jitsi, which is also extensively used by the popular ex-CIA employee and American whistleblower, Edward Snowden.

So far so good for Brave browser

Meanwhile, the Brave browser has gained immense popularity in the recent few months due to its exclusive focus on privacy by blocking bombardment of advertisements and bot trackers, and the unique crypto contribution service through Basic Attention Token (BAT).

It started the year with a bang by bagging the support of two industry giants – Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao and Gemini’s Winklevoss twins and experiencing soaring demand amid the lockdowns.