Technology @beehaw.org sculd @beehaw.org 1 yr. ago

Brave appears to install VPN Services without user consent

www.ghacks.net /2023/10/18/brave-is-installing-vpn-services-without-user-consent/

From article:

If you have the Brave Browser installed on your Windows devices, then you may also have Brave VPN services installed on the machine. Brave installs these services without user consent on Windows devices.

More reason to ditch the crypto bro browser.

53 comments

ugh, don't touch my network stack
- Not that I'm defending anybody but how is this touching your "network stack" any more than any other application?
  
  because a VPN is both a new network interface, and it has the ability to change how your traffic routes. Most applications don't do that.
https://old.reddit.com/r/brave_browser/comments/17b0pxl/brave_appears_to_install_vpn_services_without/k5kwd97/

https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/issues/33726

And crypto are disabled by default.

No, I wont' ditch it. It's the best browser out there, right now, since scummy/corrupt/hypocrite Mozilla (which, remember, is in bed with Google, Amazon and Facebook while criticizing them) decided that Firefox is just a side project for them and they're deceiving people making them believe that donations fund FF development.

Don't even bother to reply. I'm not going to fuel this shitty thread any further.
- "In bed with"=takes their money to have their search engine and lets you change it in 30 seconds while being completely open source
  
  I don't see the problem.
  
  *9 seconds
  
  Tbf, changing the default search engine probably has the effect that the vast majority of users will stick with it. So, although it is pretty easy for you and me to change the search engine, it still promotes Google quite a lot and thus undermines the independent character of Firefox as a whole.
- You seem stable
  
  I'd say so
  
  https://lemm.ee/comment/4924770
  
  solution that wipes the extremely profitable, For-Profit, Mozilla Corporation off your Internet
  
  Mozilla should be removed from the entire internet but hey, it's a beginning.
  
  Does anyone want to switch seats!?! looks around nervously
  
  I'm rickety AF
- No one told you to ditch it. But can you fanboii a little less aggressively, please?
  
  Have you ever interacted with a Brave user? No, they can't.
- True open source projects like LibreWolf, Ungoogled Chromium > Sketchy world of Brave
  
  I applaud LibreWolf’s efforts, but the hard-coded timezone makes it unusable for me. Other than that, it’s a great browser. I used it several months until the timezone confusion got the best of me.
- It's still a behavior like "we are the best software in the world, once we get admin permission we can do whatever we want without additional user consent, people appreciate it".
  
  No. You must ask permission to install useless Windows services, even if they're disabled.
- Don't even bother to reply. I'm not going to fuel this shitty thread any further.
  
  Nah I'm gonna pile on. Firefox is better.
- You a full of mins information that only benefit google having full internet monopoly. Brave is chrome. Chrome is google.
  
  Permanently Deleted
- You’re the one who made it shitty. But much to crap on the bed then get up and leave.
- lol
Somehow I trust Opera and Microsoft over Brave as this point.

What a world.
None of these companies know the first thing about consent, it's disgusting
- Just because I bought something from you doesn't mean I consent to you penetrating my inbox
Just use Thorium
- What's the difference from Chromium? Main "selling" point?
  
  https://thorium.rocks/mercury
  
  This thing is blazing fast. And when I say blazing fast, I mean freaking blazing fast. I've never seen a browser this fast my entire life. Lol It's chrome but 10x faster. Give it a shot.
- I'm considering it, but how does thorium handle Google's recent Web manifest updates that break true ad blockers like uBlock origin?
  
  I've been pretty happy with the customizability of librefox with the userchrome.css and ublock still works with YouTube.
  
  Well, you have two options. The same developer of thorium does have a Firefox one and it's called mercury. Blazing fast, too. Or you can install adblock detection bypass extension on thorium. It is an extension that's made to work with chrome alongside ublock origin to bypass YouTube adblock detection. In fact, I literally just ran into that issue today and the other extension fixed it.

You've viewed 53 comments.