Zoho Corporation, a global technology company, has launched a new privacy-centric web browser called Ulaa.
The browser was built to protect user privacy by providing a universally blocking system that stops tracking and website surveillance.
The name Ulaa is derived from the Tamil language, which symbolizes the start of a journey towards a secure browsing experience.
According to a recent study by Norton, 85% of adults worldwide want to do more to protect their online privacy.
Additionally, two-thirds of global consumers feel that tech companies have too much control over their data.
Ulaa is Zoho Corporation’s next step in their long-standing commitment to privacy and is designed to help users safeguard their personal information and internet activity from user tracking.
Kehinde Ogundare, the Country Manager of Zoho Nigeria, explained that “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. This conflict between user’s preferences and browser’s business models means end users lose.”
“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 a privacy-centric business model allows us to offer a conflict-free, privacy-centric browser,” he added.
Ulaa focuses on three main areas: privacy, productivity, and user modes.
To protect against tracking and surveillance, Ulaa blocks unauthorised push notifications, pop-ups, and time tracking.
Unlike other browsers, Ulaa does not track or share user data with any third parties. It also prohibits DNS prefetching and motion sensors that track mouse movement and clicks.
Users have access to Ulaa’s multi-ID model, which offers unique IDs that are refreshed frequently to add an extra layer of protection from tracking software.
In addition to privacy customisations, anonymised user data and stats, geographical data isolation, end-to-end encryption, and privacy reports, Ulaa disables the API that allows websites to connect and communicate with devices connected to your computer or wifi network.
Ulaa is also equipped with tabs management options to view all open tabs in one place, which can be grouped and organised.
It comes with integrated productivity apps, including Zia Search, Text2Speech, and Zoho Notebook, a dedicated note-taking space that works across all tabs. Ulaa includes Annotator, a new, built-in feature that can add annotations directly to web pages and images.
Ulaa has five browsing modes that are isolated from each other, providing unique protected browsing experiences.
Users can use Dynamic Mode Switching to save preferred modes for specific websites. It will automatically open the site in the saved mode when the user visits it again. Users will be prompted to switch modes if a website was previously opened in a different mode.
Personal and Work Modes can be used for home or work purposes. Personal Mode can be used for banking, streaming, and shopping without signing in, and has secure logins and privacy features like ad-blockers. Work Mode can pull in apps, websites, and extensions for work and has an ad blocker for protection from phishing attacks.
Developer Mode is for web developers and testers. It has developer tools and suggested extensions to ensure website compatibility and test new features.
Users can inspect HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and track assets and load time.
Kids Mode provides a safe online space for children to learn, play games, and explore content. It has content filtering and Parental Control features to block inappropriate websites.
It’s easy to navigate, has ad-free games and creativity-promoting apps. Features like Child Lock and Learning-on-the-Go restrict access to other modes.
Open Season Mode has no privacy restrictions, with no ad or tracking blockers, and no UI or feature breakages. It’s similar to an average browser and can be downloaded from the Ulaa website.
It is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems.
The browser is also available on Android devices via the Google Play Store and on iOS devices via the App Store.
