NFTs allow Token Gated experiences for video calls

Popular browser Brave introduces an exciting new Web3 feature for Brave Talk, their privacy-preserving video calling product. Their latest offering is token gated web3 calls! This breakthrough allows hosts to leverage NFTs and POAPs for access control, avatar customization, moderator assignments, and more.

Web3 Brave Talk conversations not only enhance the functionality of Brave’s browser-native Brave Wallet, but also mark the creation of the world’s first fully integrated Web3 live event platform. This product seamlessly integrates the browser, wallet and video functions.

Brave Talk: The new way to explore video calls in Web3

Unlike conventional video calling solutions such as Zoom or Google Meet, where access control relies only on passwords, Brave’s Web3 calls introduce new features for user authentication and authorization. By leveraging the tradability of NFTs, the token-gating system simulates real-world event experiences by requiring participants to hold a “ticket” in the form of an NFT.

Token gating represents a significant advance for Brave Talk, enabling hosts to use NFTs and POAPs as access cards to exclusive live events. Communities can organize members-only conversations for token holders. Meanwhile, creators have the option to reward loyal fans with exclusive access based on token ownership. In addition, businesses can leverage open NFT marketplaces to sell and resell tickets to their events.

How it works

Web3 calls are available to all Brave Talk users in any browser with any Web3 wallet. It facilitates broad accessibility and inclusion. Hosts can also initiate a Web3 conversation by subscribing to Premium Talk. This unlocks the full potential of this innovative feature.

• Follow these steps to get started with Web3 Brave Talk calls:
  • Open the Brave browser and navigate to talk.brave.com.
  • Click on “Be a Web3 Caller” (Premium Talk subscription required to access this option).
  • During room creation or joining, the wallet will ask for authentication and account access.
  • Choose an NFT as avatar.
  • Specify whether participants must own an NFT or be a member of a POAP group to participate.
  • Share the conversation link with desired participants.
  • Note: Brave Wallet is not mandatory to start or join a Web3 Talk conversation; any browser-based wallet or hardware wallet is also compatible.

What exactly is Token-Gating?

Token gating serves as a primary access control mechanism in Web3. It consists of two key components: authentication and authorization.

Authentication involves starting the process with a blockchain wallet address owned by the user. This is confirmed through a unique signature generated by the wallet:

• • A message is sent to the user of a service.
  • The user signs the message with their crypto address.
  • The signed message is sent back to the server.
  • The service then verifies the signature. This establishes ownership of the address.

Brave Talk uses the SIWE (Sign-In with Ethereum) protocol for Web3 authentication.

• Authorization, within the token-gating context, involves specifying a token that an address must have for authorization:
  • NFT ownership: The host selects one or more NFT pools, and requires the participants’ authenticated addresses to have at least one NFT from the designated pools.
  • POAP Membership: The host designates one or more POAP events, requiring the authenticated addresses of the participants to be members of the specified groups.
• Additional authorization options are in the works for the future. Meanwhile, NFTs and POAPs represent the most widely used methods.

Future improvements for Web3 Brave Talk

Brave is committed to continuous improvement and is actively exploring more improvements for Web3 Talk. This includes:

• Support for non-Ethereum NFTs: Extend token-gating capabilities to NFTs on other platforms in addition to Ethereum (ERC-721) NFTs.
• Token gating based on specific token ownership: Requires participants to have a predetermined balance of a specific token to enter.
  • • Token gating based on past ownership: Considers participants’ past blockchain activity, such as past ownership of an NFT from a particular pool, rather than relying solely on the current state of the blockchain.
    • Send Crypto to Participants: With participants’ authenticated identities, the ability to enable a “Send Crypto” menu option that opens a wallet widget pre-populated with the recipient’s address, requiring only the user to enter the amount and authorize the transaction.

Brave also greatly appreciates user feedback and encourages the community to share thoughts and suggestions regarding additional Web3 features they would like to see integrated into Brave Talk. Furthermore, users provide feedback via Twitter or by submitting issues on Github.