What does this mean?
Web Monetization is essentially an open, native web payments standard that allows creators to accept “streaming payments” for their work on platforms where monetization is enabled. Our intention in enabling this across our properties is part of Mozilla’s broader effort to promote initiatives that support a diverse, inclusive, decentralized, open and private web.
Through this experiment we aim to:
- gain a first hand experience in implementing a model for supporting content that is not reliant on advertising
- support and contribute to the growth of Web Monetization as a standard
- share what we learn
You can read about the launch of our experiment here.
All content on our website will continue to be freely accessible to all users; we would never put it behind a paywall or require subscriptions. Only users with a Web Monetization enabled extension in their browsers will be aware of the implementation.
Are there other ways you’re engaging with Web Monetization?
In 2019, Mozilla joined up with Coil and Creative Commons to support Grant for the Web as an initiative to empower individual creators and galvanize an alternative business model for online content. The fund is administered by the Interledger Foundation and aims ot kickstart a and support a healthy, vibrant ecosystem of web monetized tools, content, and resources.
Over the past year we have also been working to drive greater public discourse that at once a) explores alternative business models for the web, and b) shifts control away from data collection and targeted advertising towards business models that respect privacy and directly reward content creators.
- Mozfest: Dialogues & Debates Alternative Business Models for the Web
- Introducing Two New Fellows to Reshape the Economics of the Web
- An update on our experiment with Web Monetization
- Mozfest: Dialogues & Debates Alternatives to Digital Ads
What other resources are available?
- ‘Web Monetization Like I’m 5’ by Sultan Akintunde Bolaji
- ‘How to Web Monetization Your Content and Support Creators Online with Micropayments’ by Amber Case
- ‘A Web Monetization Story’ by Sharon Wang and Elliot Evans
- Web Monetization Research Papers, collected by Story to Go
- Web Monetization docs, specification, and Github repo
- The Interledger Protocol: Getting Started
- Grant for the Web
Are there other ways Mozilla is working to shift economic power on the web?
- In 2021 Mozilla launched a Data Futures Lab to explore ways in which responsible data governance has the potential to shift technology, society and our economy. Learn more
- Mozilla Fellows have researched privacy friendly digital ads and explored the dangers of AI-powered advertising.
- And we’ve been leading efforts to encourage social media platforms to make more transparent who is buying ads on their platform, and for what purpose. Learn more