Brave cut Publishers off without warning or any information

Few days I realized Brave cut lots of publishers off; it wasn’t Uphold who is still supporting my country but Brave. No warning, no instructions given.

We publishers who provided valid and accurate info and have been serving your ads for years were cut off just like that. Why are you still serving ads and earning with our websites while we are unable to withdraw BATs. Can you now tell me if you will keep our money and where is the guarantee we will ever be able to withdraw? Somewhere I saw someone saying that we should just wait… but we (and you) are earning money with ads and that money is in your wallets. Is there a deadline like if you don’t start supporting us (countries affected) what happens with earnings that are already in Brave accounts? Should we leave channels active or stop them? Thank you.

Hello,

Thanks for reaching out! Here are some additional details regarding the changes for unsupported regions.

  • Creators with no custodial account connected: You’ll still be able to connect a custodial account to your Creators account, but won’t be considered a “verified creator” just yet. The moment your region does become supported, however, you’ll automatically become a verified creator.
  • Creators with an existing custodial account connected: Your Brave Creators account will remain connected to your custodial account, but you will no longer be considered “verified” until your region is supported for your selected custodian. You can always switch custodians if your country is supported by another one. Once your region becomes supported, you’ll automatically become a verified creator.

You can learn more about the change here: [Action required] Changes to being a verified creator: connect a custodial account

If you feel this is a mistake please DM me your Creator email and I’d be happy to look into it for you.

Thanks again!

Important question you didn’t mention: What if you never support region X? What happens with money on Brave account? It belongs to you, all?

BAT rewards is basically a well crafted scam, they just include legal terms to say they are not scamming. I feel sorry for the ads publishers.

If a country is not supported, why are they showing ads, just do not show the ads. But doing that they cannot hold the BAT tokens right?

And if they are completely transparent, why can’t they credit the BAT on in-build browser wallet.

I am telling again. “BAT rewards is a well-crafted scam”. The worst part is it is so well crafted that can you never proof they are a SCAM

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I was thinking the same. They still take money from Advertisers but they don’t give us the share. Sure people will prove that - it is obvious. If you don’t support a country you have to stop earning with ads on those sites and pay for previous impressions. They won’t get away with it if they don’t start sending payments soon.

First off, you really need to research and learn about life. Especially important is that you learn to read or, if you struggle with reading or reading comprehension, to have someone do it for you.

If you remember correctly, when you signed up to be a Creator, you had to check that you agree to Brave’s terms & conditions. If you had clicked to read them, you’d see https://basicattentiontoken.org/publisher-terms-of-service/ and a link to where it talked about risks, which were at Exhibit C at https://basicattentiontoken.org/terms-and-conditions/

In such part of the agreements, you have where it says the following:

By purchasing, holding and using BAT, you expressly acknowledge and assume the following risks:

1. Risk of Losing Access to BAT Due to Loss of Private Key(s), Custodial Error or Purchaser Error

A private key, or a combination of private keys, is necessary to control and dispose of BAT stored in your digital wallet or vault. Accordingly, loss of requisite private key(s) associated with your digital wallet or vault storing BAT will result in loss of such BAT. Moreover, any third party that gains access to such private key(s), including by gaining access to login credentials of a digital wallet or vault service you use, may be able to misappropriate your BAT. Any errors or malfunctions caused by or otherwise related to the digital wallet or vault you choose to receive and store BAT, including your own failure to properly maintain or use such digital wallet or vault, may also result in the loss of your BAT. Additionally, your failure to follow precisely the procedures set forth in Section 4 of Exhibit B for buying and receiving BAT, including, for instance, if you provide the wrong address for receiving BAT, may result in the loss of your BAT.

5. Risks Associated with Markets for BAT

BAT are intended to be used solely on the Platform, and Company will not support or otherwise facilitate any secondary trading or external valuation of BAT. This restricts the contemplated avenues for using BAT to obtain Services or access the Platform, and could therefore create illiquidity risk with respect to BAT you hold. Even if secondary trading of BAT is facilitated by third party exchanges, such exchanges may be relatively new and subject to little or no regulatory oversight, making them more susceptible to market-related risks. Furthermore, to the extent that third-parties do ascribe an external exchange value to BAT (e.g., as denominated in a digital or fiat currency), such value may be extremely volatile and diminish to zero.

7. Risks Associated with Uncertain Regulations and Enforcement Actions

The regulatory status of BAT and distributed ledger technology is unclear or unsettled in many jurisdictions. It is difficult to predict how or whether regulatory agencies may apply existing regulation with respect to such technology and its applications. It is likewise difficult to predict how or whether legislatures or regulatory agencies may implement changes to law and regulation affecting distributed ledger technology and its applications, including the Platform and BAT. Regulatory actions could negatively impact the Platform and BAT in various ways, including, for purposes of illustration only, through a determination that BAT are a regulated financial instrument that require registration or licensing. Company may cease operations in a jurisdiction in the event that regulatory actions, or changes to law or regulation, make it illegal to operate in such jurisdiction, or commercially undesirable to obtain the necessary regulatory approval(s) to operate in such jurisdiction.

11. Risks Associated with the Development and Maintenance of the Platform

The Platform is still under development and may undergo significant changes over time. Although we intend for BAT and the Platform to follow the specifications set forth in Exhibit A, and will take commercially reasonable steps toward those ends, we may have to make changes to the specifications of BAT or the Platform for any number of legitimate reasons. This could create the risk that BAT or the Platform, as further developed and maintained, may not meet your expectations at the time of purchasing BAT. Furthermore, despite our good faith efforts to develop and maintain the Platform, it is still possible that the Platform will experience malfunctions or otherwise fail to be adequately developed or maintained, which may negatively impact the Platform and the potential utility of BAT, including its utility for obtaining Services.

14. Risks Arising from Lack of Governance Rights

Because BAT confer no governance rights of any kind with respect to the Platform or Company, all decisions involving the Platform or Company will be made by Company at its sole discretion, including, but not limited to, decisions to discontinue the Platform, to sell more BAT for use in the Platform, or to sell or liquidate the Company. These decisions could adversely affect the Platform and the utility of BAT that you hold, including BAT’s utility for obtaining Services.

15. Risks Associated with Advertising-Supported Business Models

The Company’s growth and adoption of the Platform may depend on our ability to maintain and expand our existing relationships with advertisers and publishers and our ability to develop new relationships with other advertisers and publishers within the Platform. As the advertising market generates and develops new concepts and technology, we may incur additional costs to implement a more effective Platform and may have to adjust to new tracking and unforeseeable technologies that could diminish the effectiveness of our BAM and other attention-measuring metrics. Continuing to develop and improve the Platform to keep up with these changes may require significant time and additional investment. If we cannot continue to develop and improve the Platform to maintain competitiveness in light of such changes, the Platform may not remain viable, which could negatively impact the utility of BAT, including BAT’s utility for obtaining Services.

Acknowledgment of Risks Related to Platform and BAT

As noted above, the integration of the Platform with the Brave browser is an integral part of the Services. You acknowledge and agree that there are risks associated with accessing and using the Platform and receiving and holding BAT, as disclosed and explained in Exhibit C of the BAT Terms of Sale, available at https://basicattentiontoken.org/terms-and-conditions/. If you have any questions regarding these risks, please contact us at publishers@basicattentiontoken.org. By using the Services and the Platform and receiving BAT as publisher contributions, you expressly acknowledge and assume these risks.

11. Disclaimers

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law and except as otherwise specified in writing by us:

  • (a) the Services are made available on an “as is” and “as available” basis without warranties of any kind;
  • (b) we expressly disclaim all implied warranties as to the Services, including, without limitation, implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title and non-infringement;
  • (c) we do not represent or warrant that the Services are reliable, current or error-free, meet your requirements, or that defects in the services will be corrected; and
  • (d) we cannot and do not represent or warrant that the Services are free of malware or other harmful components.

The above post/comment aside, Brave has never just cut off connections. Notifications have always been made here, such as the longer one as the recent Topic at [Action required] Changes to being a verified creator: connect a custodial account which has also been shared elsewhere, such as on Reddit.

You’ll notice that it cut you off from being a Verified Creator but it didn’t say you wouldn’t receive BAT already in your account. As long as you had been Verified, then you’d receive your BAT. If you had chosen not to Verify, then you’d also need to refer back to Terms which state:

  • (c) register for a Publisher Account in accordance with Section 3, which requires you to create an ERC20-compatible Ethereum wallet address (“Publisher Wallet”) with one of the third-party wallet providers approved by Brave (a “Custodian”), and complete all required verification steps with the Custodian, and
  • (d) maintain your Publisher Wallet in good standing with the Custodian.

Therefore, if you hadn’t been connected to a custodial account, then you’d not have been meeting those terms and your inability to withdraw BAT would be on you.

Restrictions on available countries have always referenced to new connections or those who become disconnected after the decision. In many cases, everyone has remained connected even months after support was withdrawn. So it’s not like they just cut you off out of nowhere and “stole” your money.

Answering now may not do much justice, as there are many changes coming. If you’d like to advertise, they often can use the BAT in your account to help fund advertising costs. In terms of the future, there is another custodial partner in the works. Who it is or how long until it arrives is not being shared yet, but they have assured us it’s on the way.

In addition, they are looking at better integration for BAT to be able to go to Solana and others. Though, it still will require a custodial partner and for a person to have gone through KYC/AML.

The likelihood of Brave never bringing a country back is slim. BAT you earned remains with you. Nothing would be “taken” or “stolen” from Brave.

That said, there are all the risks that they shared and you agreed to when you had the Terms. So if you just happen to be in a country that can’t be served for one reason or another, then it means you’ll have the BAT but won’t be able to do anything with it. Again, that’s the risks.

It’s important to remember though that Brave is always looking to expand and offer support to as many places as they can. This support to all the countries is how they earn their profits. Nobody said you have to like the whole process, but you are stuck with having to live with it. Either continue with the services or walk away, that’s pretty much your options. You just need to decide which is most profitable to you in the long run.

OK let’s go step by step. You started with this sentence:

By purchasing, holding and using BAT, you expressly acknowledge and assume the following risks:

I didn’t purchase BAT, I am not holding BAT (because you are holding my BATs) and I am not using them. How could I if you decided not to give them to me? That means whole text you copied has no meaning in this case, correct?

The likelihood of Brave never bringing a country back is slim. BAT you earned remains with you. Nothing would be “taken” or “stolen” from Brave.

How does BAT I earned remain with me if I can’t withdraw it? It is not in my wallet, it is in YOUR wallet.

So if you just happen to be in a country that can’t be served for one reason or another, then it means you’ll have the BAT but won’t be able to do anything with it. Again, that’s the risks.

I have been Publisher for years. Can you read what I am saying? If Brave decided I can no longer be their Publisher, they should stop serving ads and pay what they owe. If not, that means they don’t want to give the money I earned (when they still treated me as a valid publisher) and what is even worse, they keep serving ads knowing they will keep everything (they are charging Advertisers for impressions on my websites and they know they won’t pay me). If that isn’t robbery then I dont know how you call it. It surely isn’t “a risk” but much more.

Remains where? In Brave’s wallet? Let me know because I don’t see a way how I can get BAT I earned. Maybe you know.

Brave doesn’t serve ads to Publishers. You only earn BAT from people tipping you.

For Rewards, it’s on your device/browser. For Publishers, it’s held by you on your account. You focused on “purchasing” and “holding” but liked to skip “use.” In other words, if you have anything to do with BAT, then those things apply to you.

I found this from you in older thread:

You can still earn BAT but you won’t be able to withdraw them.

I guess we have an answer. That is like you come work in my company - you can work hard and earn a salary but you can’t withdraw your money.

Assuming you’re still talking Publishers, then yes, it’s in your Publishers account. For example, the BAT I have earned is sitting there now, just a measely 0.95. That stays in that account until it pays out to a custodial account. If I didn’t have it connected, then it wouldn’t be able to pay and would continue sitting there until linked again.

But that is not true. I talked to Uphold and they said they still support my country but Brave does not and Brave will not send my earnings to Uphold. Not sure if you understand. See the screenshot.

Uphold has been connected for years. Uphold says Brave STOPPED paying to Uphold because in my case Brave delisted my region. It has nothing to do with Uphold. See my account connected. Also check notice in yellow color.

Yes, that’s for Rewards. Because BAT is designed to work as a token that is used for services with Brave. The intent was for people to tip Creators and that’s the primary thing it’s still there for, as otherwise ads are being blocked on sites and the people who own the sites get screwed.

So for Users participating in Rewards, which is letting ad notifications be served on their device, they are earning BAT just as is stated in Rewards terms. Also as Terms specify, you need to have KYC/AML through a custodial partner and have that custodial partner linked in order to remove BAT from the browser.

This, again, comes back to legal matters. If Brave could just strictly pay without it, they would. It would be a lot easier and cheaper for them. But governments stick their hands into things.

Correct, it’s letting you know that you’ll not get anything in the future.

Well, yes and no. Overall as I’ve stated, it’s Brave’s decision. But it is true that they are working with Uphold to resolve issues and stopped some countries because of reports from Uphold and Gemini. But if we have to put it all on just one place, it’s with Brave.

Yes, I see that. Like it says, your channels won’t appear as verified. Once your country is supported again, you’ll be marked verified automatically.

I know you’re also focused on the latter part, which states that payments will resume. On that, we can ask @chriscat and @Evan123 for some clarification. If it’s anything like prior announcements, then it will be something like below:

Note that those who are currently verified in regions that are no longer supported will continue to be until they are naturally logged out over time, or press to disconnect Brave Rewards from their Uphold account. Once logged out or disconnected from Uphold, users in unsupported regions will not be able to log in again or re-verify Brave Rewards with Uphold.

The above had been on the Rewards notification at NOTICE: New region restrictions on verifying Brave Rewards with Uphold made back in July.

I highly doubt they just are cutting off and not paying existing. But again, since they haven’t clearly stated either, it’s just a matter of waiting to see or having them clarify.

@maxitrol Just got the official response:

So it’s like I said, as long as that account had been linked, you should receive everything that was in your Publishers/Creators. You just won’t be able to receive any tips after and thus no payouts.

@SmartyAadi figured I’d tag you in as well so you can see this. Screenshot is from Reddit post but also in a reply on Twitter.

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Don’t worry your Bat will be in my pocket

Specifically, my account is in Vietnam, and my uphold wallet was created before being banned, can I add my wallet and get my creator rewards now?