The cryptocurrency-powered Brave browser is facing criticism after it added a new cryptocurrency exchange widget for Bitcoin.com, which by default gives users the option to buy Bitcoin Cash (BCH).
Bitcoin.com is a website known for being pro-BCH. Bitcoin Cash was a cryptocurrency created back in August 2017 through a fork of the original Bitcoin (BTC) blockchain, and was the result of a years-long scaling debate within the BTC community. Those in favor of bigger blocks for the blockchain adopted Bitcoin Cash.
Brave’s move to add the Bitcoin.com exchange widget was criticized as some users believe it’s misleading for the website Bitcoin.com to promote Bitcoin Cash (BCH), as it could trick newcomers into the space to buying BCH while believing they were buying BTC.
Jonathan Sampson, Senior Developer Relations at Brave, replied to the criticism by pointing out it’s rather easy to get rid of the Bitcoin.com widget – or any other exchange widget. To the browser operator, offering the widget helps those using Bitcoin.com to buy and sell cryptocurrencies more securely.
Sampson added that there are “very passionate folks who have extreme love/hate relationships for various reasons” in the crypto space, and this is “especially true when it comes to the BTC vs BCH subject.” Brave, he added, focuses on privacy and security.
The widget was added to Brave’s newest desktop browser version, and the integration with Bitcoin.com is powered by MoonPay, allowing users to buy cryptocurrencies with fiat. The widget is available in the UK, EU, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, and other regions.
Brave has other exchange widgets for Binance and Gemini. In September, the privacy-centric browser had 19.6 million monthly active users, and 6.6 million daily active users. Brave itself, it’s worth noting, was initially supposed to feature BTC rewards within the browser, but ended up launching its own ERC-20 token, BAT, via an initial coin offering (ICO) later on.