BharOS: The Indigenous Mobile Operating System Developed In India With Focus On Security And Privacy
As technology advances, the world has seen a significant increase in the use of mobile devices. With this rise in usage, the demand for mobile operating systems has also grown. One of the newest players in the mobile operating system market is BharOS, an indigenous mobile operating system developed by an Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras)-incubated firm, JandK Operations Private Limited (JandKops).
Features of BharOS
BharOS is designed to be installed on commercial off-the-shelf handsets and it comes with a unique feature called “No Default Apps” (NDA). This feature allows users to have more control over the permissions that apps have on their device, as they can choose to only allow apps that they trust to access certain features or data on their device.
Additionally, BharOS Services are currently being provided to organizations that have stringent privacy and security requirements, and whose users handle sensitive information that requires confidential communications on restricted apps on mobiles.
Security and Privacy
One of the key features of BharOS is its focus on security and privacy. The operating system offers ‘Native Over The Air’ (NOTA) updates that can help to keep the devices secure. These updates are automatically downloaded and installed on the device, without the need for the user to manually initiate the process. This ensures that the device is always running the latest version of the operating system, which includes the latest security patches and bug fixes.
Additionally, BharOS provides access to trusted apps from organization-specific Private App Store Services (PASS), which are vetted for security and privacy standards. This ensures that users can be confident that the apps they are installing are safe to use and have been checked for any potential security vulnerabilities or privacy concerns.
Funding and Development
BharOS is an Android open-source project (AOSP)-based operating system and is funded by the Indian government. The operating system was developed by JandKops, which has been incubated at IIT Madras and it is funded by the Central government’s Department of Science and Technology (DST) under its National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NMICPS).
Current Availability
Currently, BharOS is only being supplied to those users and organizations that handle sensitive information and data that require strong privacy and security requirements. This includes organizations that require access to private cloud services through private 5G networks. Additionally, it is unclear how users may switch from their current operating systems to BharOS.
And, finally to conclude.
The development of BharOS marks a significant achievement for India in the field of mobile operating systems. With its focus on security, privacy, and user control, BharOS is well-suited for organizations and individuals who handle sensitive information and require confidential communications. As the operating system is in its early stages of development, it will be interesting to see how it evolves and what impact it will have in the mobile operating systems market.
