IMHO, this is a big deal! @brave, the privacy-focused browser used by ~85 million people/month, just introduced “.brave,” the first ever top-level domain (TLD) that lives on a public blockchain and is built directly into a mainstream browser. These names are minted once as NFTs on the Polygon network, never need yearly renewal fees, work as easy-to-read crypto addresses, and can even points to small websites that load right inside Brave. The feature is already in Brave’s Nightly test builds (version 1.81) and is scheduled for full release in August 2025. The plan is to have .brave recognised by the regular internet regulator ICANN by 2026, so the same address will open in Chrome, Safari, and every other browser. The point is that this is another step in breaking the chains of control of the corporate world. This is exciting!! What happened? Because it's the first of its kind. Brave is the first mainstream browser to create and natively support its own on-chain TLD—something even Chrome, Safari and Firefox have never done. Names are minted as NFTs. Each .brave name is an NFT on Polygon, giving the owner full custody and removing annual registrar fees. GlobeNewswireUnstoppable A single .brave record can hold wallet addresses for Ethereum, Bitcoin, Solana, Base, Sonic, and more, turning “alex.brave” into a universal pay-link. Point the record to an IPFS content ID (CID) and Brave will open your site without relying on traditional web servers. In otherwords, this is decentrized web, useful for censorship resistance or hobby pages. There is a road back to Web2. Brave and partner Unstoppable Domains will apply to ICANN so .brave works like a ".com" from everywhere on any browser by 2026. Why is this a big deal? Crypto: Instead of sending crypto to 0xABCD…, you can send it to grandma.brave. It’s as straightforward as giving someone your email address. One-click websites: You can drag-and-drop a simple page to IPFS, link it to your .brave name, and anyone on Brave can visit it—no hosting bill, no domain renewal. Ownership, not rent: Because the name is an NFT, you pay once and keep it; nobody can quietly seize or suspend it. Nobody can domain squat if you forget to renew your TLD. Bridges old and new internet: ICANN approval would let the exact same address open in every browser and email client, uniting Web2 and Web3 under a single name. Brave says the full public release is slated for August 5 2025