How it works
Everything starts with your Publisher ID, which lets the extension attribute subscriber attention to you. There's one per account, and you can find it on your dashboard.
Publisher ID
This is an example Publisher ID. Replace it with your own before using it.
zapub_7Fq2xR9nKd3wV8mB4tL6yH1c
Put this ID where the extension can find it. Website publishers also provide the clean experience and included paid access.
1. You announce your ID
There are three places the extension looks. You only need one.
| Where you put the ID | Good for | You are |
|---|---|---|
| A response header | Any site with a server or proxy | In control of the site |
| A meta tag in the page | Static sites, no server code | In control of the site |
| The page content (e.g. a video description) | Channels and platforms you don't own | Not in control of the site |
The first two announce a website integration, which earns at full weight and must provide the subscriber experience: remove ads and interruptions and grant included paid access. Announcing an ID is not independent proof of ownership or compliance. The third is for creator content on someone else's platform — you still earn, but the platform keeps showing its ads, so subscribers control the allocation to that attention.
2. A subscriber visits, and the visit is recorded
When someone with an active subscription opens your page, their extension notices your Publisher ID and measures time while their tab and browser window are focused. Background tabs and focus loss do not count; ordinary inactivity while reading still does. That's the telemetry that decides payouts.
The extension reports publisher IDs, detection method, hostnames, page-view counts, and measured time. Creator observations can also contain full page URLs. Uploads authenticate to the subscriber's account and include extension version and server-recorded IP address and receipt time. Activity is account-linked within Zero Ad Network. Publishers receive aggregate statistics rather than subscriber identities; see the Privacy Policy.
The extension normally uploads pending activity hourly while paid access is live. After an upload is accepted and processed, a newly discovered integration appears in your dashboard. You can confirm it's yours or dissociate it if it isn't. Usage summaries are rolled up daily, so they are not live counters.
3. You serve subscribers a clean page
As a website publisher, you provide a clean page and included paid access. An already clean, unrestricted site only needs to announce its ID. Otherwise, integrate membership verification with your rendering and access rules:
- Your server announces you. Every response carries
Better-Web-Publisher: <your ID>. - The extension proves the visitor. For a subscriber, it adds a
Better-Web-Tokenheader — a token bound to your hostname. - Your server checks it and decides. Our SDK verifies the token locally against the network's public key. If it's a genuine subscriber, you serve the page without ads or interruptions, and grant your base subscription or a custom level of paid content or features. Everyone else sees the site exactly as before.
The token is bound to your hostname, so it cannot be reused on another hostname. Verification runs locally without a call back to us; the extension separately contacts the platform to obtain credentials and upload activity. Discovery happens from a response or loaded page, so the first request to an unfamiliar website may not carry a token. Reload after recognition if needed.
Comparing Freedom on and off
Use Turn Freedom off in the extension popup to compare a website's ordinary and subscriber experiences. This stops subscriber-token injection on all websites, not just the current tab. Reload the page after switching. Choose Turn Freedom on and reload to send subscriber tokens again, provided your access is still valid.
This is a comparison control, not a tracking pause. Publisher discovery, visit measurement, and scheduled uploads continue in both modes. Previously recorded usage is retained and uploaded normally; switching modes does not clear or replay it. The selection survives extension worker and browser restarts until you change it or reset the extension.
A website may retain subscriber access through its own login, cookies, or cache. Turning Freedom off does not clear those, so it cannot guarantee an immediate ordinary-visitor view.
What the network gives back
- Funded attention drives monthly earnings. Transfers require the minimum balance and eligible Stripe setup; bank withdrawals are separate.
- You keep full control of your content and layout.
- No advertising scripts are required for participation, and activity data is not sold.