Zoho’s home-grown web browser Ulaa (meaning stroll in Tamil) has won the Indian Web Browser Development Challenge (IWBDC) on Thursday.
This competition, organised by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA), and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) under the Government of India’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative, aims to recognize indigenous browser development.
434 teams registered for the challenge with 08 teams making it to the final stage.
As per a statement by Zoho, Ulaa stands out for its security features, including CCA Root integration, digital signing, and machine learning-based phishing detection. “It also offers a strong ad-blocking system and customizable protection settings for a better online experience,” the company said. It also has a 24-hour security patch policy and multi-lingual support.
“All talented people -industry, academia, start-ups and researchers- must come together to build new solutions and make India a product nation. Step by step we must build the tech stack to reach the next level,” Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, Electronics & Information Technology, said at the IWBDC event.
“Ulaa redefines browsing by treating privacy as a fundamental right, not a business model—ensuring it remains free for all individuals while never monetising user data. On the enterprise front, Ulaa Enterprise empowers businesses with advanced security, productivity, and visibility tools that protect sensitive information and minimise risks,” Mani Vembu, CEO, Zoho, said.
The challenge, which was launched in August 2023, had a three-stage evaluation process: Ideation, Prototype, and Productisation. Participants had to demonstrate the viability of their browser solutions against international standards.
