Security News > 2020 > June > Brave soz about coding snafu that sent search queries to affiliate links but insists practice is 'industry-standard'

Privacy-focused browser maker Brave has responded to complaints about affiliate links by apologising for a coding error but also stating that adding affiliate links to search queries is standard practice.

The browser was never guilty of the more serious accusation of injecting affiliate links into the HTML rendered for a page, said Brave.

"We will check for all ways that affiliate codes can appear in Brave's user interface, and clearly delineate to our users the differences between affiliate-coded suggestions; completions based on history, bookmarks, and open tabs; and search queries," the company said, wording that will not reassure individuals who want to steer clear of affiliate marketing.

"This does not compromise user privacy, nor does it reveal any personal information. The affiliate code identifies Brave to the partner; it does not identify the user or anyone else." Brave further claimed: "All browsers with major search engine partnerships add affiliate codes to search queries."

Mozilla gets a chunk of money from Google for setting it as the default search engine, a fact head of EU public policy Raegan MacDonald told us was "Not the ideal situation, but we are doing our best to figure out how to be an independent browser and thrive." We have asked Mozilla to comment on the matter of affiliate links and whether Brave's claim is correct.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2020/06/09/brave_affiliate_links_bug/