Zoho Corporation, the Chennai-headquartered global technology company, launched Ulaa, a privacy-centered browser. Ulaa, derived from Tamil, means journey or voyage. The browser is built specifically to secure personal data with pre-built capabilities that universally block tracking and website surveillance. Ulaa is a step further in Zoho’s long-standing commitment to privacy.
The privacy-centered browser is equipped with features that allow for privacy customisation, built-in user profile modes, and integrated productivity tools while keeping user data safe and private. Users can also sync browsing sessions between devices—either an entire browser window or a singular tab—allowing them to use multiple devices for the same browsing session seamlessly.
“Not many browsers on the market today are built to protect user privacy. They were created to protect respective company’s ad-based business models and surveillance companies that complement them, which runs counter to protecting users. This conflict between user’s preferences and browser’s business models means end users lose,” said Sridhar Vembu, CEO and Co-founder, Zoho Corporation. “With Ulaa, users don’t have to compromise their privacy to browse the web, which unfortunately has become a surveillance minefield. Zoho’s commitment to privacy and our privacy-centric business model allows us to offer a conflict-free, privacy-centric browser to those who value their own privacy and their kids’ privacy.”
According to a report, 92% of Indian internet users are concerned about online privacy, wherein 85% felt that Internet companies have been part of the problem. As of December 2022, India had +700 mn active internet users, and by 2025 it is expected to reach 900 mn. As the internet user base increases so will privacy threat vectors and concerns. Therefore, Ulaa protects users against tracking and surveillance and is rooted in three main areas:
Privacy: Existing browsers use time trackers or idle monitors that feed data back to the software provider and the companies that pay them for user data. Ulaa doesn’t track or share user data with any third parties. DNS Prefetching is prohibited in Ulaa, so data cannot be cached, nor can motion sensors track mouse movement and clicks. Ad and data tracking blockers in Ulaa prevent unauthorised push notifications, pop-ups, and time tracking. Thereby protecting users against targeted advertising, identity theft, and other forms of online tracking and surveillance.
Ulaa also disables the API that allows websites to connect and communicate with devices connected to the computer or wifi network. Typically, browser IDs can be used to track users even after they have signed out of the browser. Therefore, Ulaa has a multi-ID model, which is frequently refreshed, making it impossible to correlate a signed-in user to a browsing session; it adds an extra layer of protection from tracking software. Users can enable auto-reset on every startup for further protection. Additionally, Ulaa offers privacy customisations, anonymised user data and stats, geographical data isolation, end-to-end encryption, and privacy reports.
Productivity: Ulaa comes equipped with tabs management options to view all open tabs in one place to be grouped and organised. Users can easily switch between tabs, or move tabs to a different mode or a new window. It’s also integrated with apps that boost productivity, including Zia Search for existing users, and Zoho Notebook, a dedicated note-taking space that works across all tabs, so that a user can jot down important information without leaving their browsing session. Ulaa includes Zoho Annotator, a new, free extension that enables annotations directly to web pages and images. All Chrome browser extensions are compatible with Ulaa, and can be directly installed from the Chrome Webstore.
User Modes: Owing to Ulaa’s Dynamic Mode Switching users can toggle between five unique user profile modes based on their desired browsing experience, with each mode completely isolated from others, offering protected browsing experiences unique to the specific mode. Dynamic Mode Switching enables users to ask Ulaa to open and remember which websites belong in certain modes. The next time the user visits that website, Ulaa will automatically prompt to open the site in pre-selected mode. Ulaa Modes is available on both iOS and Android for both desktop and mobile, unlike current competitor offerings.
- Personal and Work Modes – Both modes offer users a clear and easy way to decipher between browsing functions for home and work. Personal Mode, for example, can be used for online banking, music or video streaming, or shopping. Users can view their browsing history, search records, favorite pages, and cookies data without having to sign in to Ulaa. This mode enables secure logins into user accounts, prevents ads, and maintains online privacy. Work Mode is dedicated to work functions and automatically pulls in the apps, websites, and browser extensions that the user uses most for work. With a stringent ad-blocker enabled, users are protected from intrusive ads, possible phishing attacks, and more.
- Kids Mode – This mode provides a safe online space for children. It is equipped with ad-free entertainment and learning-centric games, apps that promote creativity, and is easy to navigate, regardless of age. Added features such as Parental Control, Child Lock, and Learning-on-the-Go restrict the child’s access to other modes for worry-free web browsing.
- Developer Mode – Designed for professional web developers and testers, this mode includes a suite of developer tools and suggested extensions in the browser. This mode allows users to ensure their websites are compatible with different browsers and devices, test new features, and develop cross-platform applications. Developers can inspect currently loaded HTML elements, CSS styles, and JavaScript within Developer Mode while keeping track of the assets the page has requested, monitor how long they take to load, etc.
- Open Season Mode – This mode comes with no privacy restrictions. With disabled ad tracking blockers, this mode enables access to all websites including “zero restriction” sites without hindrances of UI or feature breakages — similar to asking UIaa to behave like an average browser. The sharp red theme of this mode serves as a reminder of disabled data protection features, and informs the user they are being surveilled online.
“There are two major trends impacting how people interact with the vast number of websites, applications, and tools available on the Internet. The first is that data privacy is becoming a prime consideration with increasingly concerned with the improper use of their data. The second is the preference for consolidating around major platforms that provide access to the wide range of services we need and use on a daily basis. The gateway for both is the Internet browser, which is why Google, Microsoft, and Apple have all invested massive energy in the space—and also why many users have felt that they needed to sacrifice their desire for privacy for theplatform’s easeof use,” said Charles Araujo, Principal Analyst at The Experience Report.
“Today, Zoho seeks to offer users the best of both worlds with Ulaa. While it provides the same sort of platform access as its much larger competitors—using the same Zoho account that provides access to its vast suite of productivity and business software — Ulaa is a privacy- and human-first browser that prioritises the sanctity of a user’s data over its capture and monetisation. Loaded with built-in features, Ulaa is a formidable new entry that should be of great interest to all privacy- and productivity-minded consumers and business users.”
Ulaa is free for all, and its desktop version is available for download here. The iOS and Android versions are currently in beta and available for download. For more information, please visit: https://ulaa.com/
