BharOS is a new security-focused Android fork developed in India

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras recently held a conference and announced BharOS – a new mobile operating system focused on privacy and security. The operating system is developed by JandK Operations Private Limited (JandKops), which is a Section 8 (non-profit) company established by IIT Madras. BharOS is basically a really clean fork of AOSP that offers various security and privacy features.

For example, no default application is preloaded in the operating system. This allows users to carefully choose only the apps they need and trust. BharOS also provides access to a private app store service called PASS. Apparently, it’s populated with hand-picked apps that have been verified to comply with business privacy and security needs.

This is precisely the target audience of the OS. It will be provided to businesses and organizations with specific security requirements and sensitive information. Apparently, BharOS will also receive its own native over-the-air updates. However, it’s unclear which Android kernel version it’s currently based on.

Professor V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, said this about the software project:

The BharOS service is a mobile operating system built on a foundation of trust, with the objective of providing users with more freedom, control and flexibility to choose and use only the applications that meet their needs. This innovative system promises to revolutionize the way users think about security and privacy on their mobile devices.

spring | Via