During the Messari Mainnet event, the company behind the internet browser Brave announced a partnership with the Electric Coin Co. (ECC) and the Filecoin Foundation. These entities are the leading developers of the Zcash (ZEC) protocol and Filecoin (FIL).
Brave Brings Zcash Tools Into Web3
According to an official announcement, the cooperation aims to “improve” privacy for Brave’s Web3 wallet. This feature allows users to transact with cryptocurrencies, including the Basic Attention Token (BAT), which people can earn by interacting with websites.
Zcash’s native token, ZEC, will become the latest to integrate with the wallet. The company behind Brave claims that this cooperation underscores its “commitment” to provide privacy tools for its users.
The integration will allow users to transact privately or publicly with other users and “have greater control” over their Web3 activity. Zooko Wilcox, CEO of the Electric Coin Co., stated:
I’m excited about integrating Zcash into the Brave web browser because privacy should be normal. The Brave browser is a tool that tens of millions of people are using for everyday communication, web browsing, shopping, and other activities. This gives them access to money that respects their security and consent. I’m thrilled for this launch — and what’s to come — as a result of this partnership with Brave and Filecoin Foundation.
Since its inception, Brave has provided its users with more control over their data and activity. The company behind the browsers has been increasing its privacy features recently by launching easy ways to delete cookies, profiles, and any traces of interaction with a website.
In that sense, Yan Zhu from Brave added:
This partnership with like-minded organizations reinforces Brave’s mission for a more private and user-first Web. Not only do we hope to make it simple to use ZEC for private transactions, but we also aim to maximize privacy during key moments of purchase or exchange.
More Privacy, More Features
In addition to the above, the partners hinted at launching a new privacy-based tool to send and receive messages and multimedia files supported by the Zcash protocol. The content will be stored using the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), which supports Filecoin.
Marta Belcher, president of the Filecoin Foundation, said:
We’re thrilled to be a part of this important project. We believe cryptocurrency can be the foundation for a better Internet — an alternative to big tech that puts people in control of their own data, protects user privacy and security, and permanently preserves humanity’s most important information.
As of this writing, neither ZEC nor BAT has seen any upside driven by the announcement. However, Brave users will likely benefit long-term by leveraging a privacy-oriented tool and an alternative to Google and other big tech companies seemingly growing more hungry for people’s data.
Cover image from Unsplash, chart from Tradingview