Dehradun startup creates India's own Zoom alternative - Bharat.live

Under the lockdown conditions, the need of the hour is a robust and secure video conferencing platform. Zoom is topping the charts as the most preferred platform serving the communication and interaction needs of several thousand people across the globe. But the platform's security has come under the radar. Non-native alternatives like Blue Jeans, Google Duo, Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, FaceTime, and Skype do exist as recourses for communication in the current unprecedented times.

But some of these apps suffer from the restriction on the number of participants to partake in a video or voice communication. And other applications have their share of privacy and security complications. There exists a burgeoning demand for an indigenous, secure, and stable alternative to the apps currently in vogue.

Creating a native video conferencing alternative is a Dehradun-based startup company that has brought out Bharat.live. Bharat.live was founded in Dehradun as a unit of ileads Auxiliary Services Pvt Ltd in 2020. Apparently, the company's statement claims that the platform has crossed five lakh users with approximately one lakh user per day.

Bharat.live is not the Indian government's official video-conferencing application. The government has exhorted Indian tech companies to develop an indigenous and secure substitute for Zoom. It has announced prize money of Rs 1 crore to the winner, and Bharat.live is a contestant.

According to the statement released by the company, using Bharat.live is extremely easy with no requirement for a webcam. "No webcam is required unless one wants to transmit video. An account either to join a meeting or to host and initiate a meeting is also not required. You can enter any name to join the meeting. You need not log in with personal Facebook or Google. The site does not ask for the user's email ID. No chat or records are stored on servers as of now. A security breach is the remotest possibility. Data such as IP address is collected for the time being to facilitate your call.  The safest and trusted cryptographic standards like AES 256 bit encryption and TLS (Transport Security Layer) SSL encryption are in place to increase network security. GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) compliance safeguards user rights are deployed," reads the press statement.

AES 256 bit encryption makes it impenetrable to hackers, faster, and efficient for uninterrupted video communication. The platform is HIPPA compliant for secure user authentication, proper information storage, and reports generation with access control, audit controls, integrity controls, and transmission security. Moreover, its URL is visible to the host only. The host can further share it with others.

It was also communicated through the release that servers and main critical infrastructures are based in India. This is the major differentiator that sets Bharat.live apart from other players in the market. Bharat.live has been interacting with different users so that it can discover special needs and build safeguards here instead of sourcing them from outside India.

Currently, Bharat.live can support 50 participants. Its target is to bring in 100 participants. Depending on the use case, this number may vary. The user has the option to customize it for one to one chat in a private meeting room or virtual meetings among multiple participants.

Bharat.live is offering a free trial plan for 2 hours with 10 participants. Other plans are available with separate pricing for business and consumer categories.