Our Business Associations
Prav app –
Prav is a messaging service which can be used to exchange messages, audio/video calls, files, images and videos through internet. I am a share-holder in Prav app which is registered as a multi-state cooperative society. It has 50 registered members from Kerala, 1 from Delhi etc. I participate in the voting of management decisions of Prav app. Prav app is available for your android phone and soon will be launched for apple phones. Praveen and Ravi are core team members.
To know about our Core team members at Prav :
What is Prav?
A messaging app Prav is a messaging app which works on XMPP protocol. Users can communicate with other XMPP users. Prav app has support for messaging, file sharing, voice messages, audio and video calls.
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Features :
1. Software Freedom – Prav is Free Software or Swatantra software (please click on this hyperlink to read more). Users have the freedom to run, study, modify, share and share the modified versions. The source code of Prav app is accessible to users so that they can get it checked with the help of any programmer. Every car owner has the freedom of access to the engine of the car by opening its bonnet. Similar to the accessibility of engine of a car, Source code is like the engine of a software. Please view the source code of Prav app by clicking on the link below : https://codeberg.org/prav
2. Software Privacy – Unlike watsapp, no personal data is collected or stolen in Prav app. XMPP means Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol. It is an communication protocol designed for instant messaging (IM), presence information, and contact list maintenance. It provides OMEMO encryption for chats which runs on asymmetric cryptography algorithms. Practical applications of asymmetic cryptography include e-commerce based payments, chips payment based debit and credit cards, digital currencies, computer passwords, and military communication done by armies, communication done by journalists.
3. Cyber-security – Asymmetric cryptography, is the field of cryptographic systems that use pairs of related keys. Each key pair consists of a public key and a corresponding private key. Key pairs are generated with cryptographic algorithms based on mathematical problems termed one-way functions. Security of public-key cryptography depends on keeping the private key secret; the public key can be openly distributed without compromising security. Prav App will generate a cryptographic key pair and private key will be stored on the device and public key will be shared with contacts so they can use the public key to send encrypted messages and these can be decrypted only with the secret key present on your device. This also means if you lose your device, the messages can never be decrypted (but if you want to save messages, you will be able create backups and store them separately).
4. No vendor lock-in – Prav App is convenient without vendor lock-in. Many mainstream messaging apps allow you to talk only to people who use the same app, other apps which provide choice have many manual steps and people complain they are inconvenient. Most popular messaging apps require users to download the same app and have account on the same service. Prav is interoperable with other XMPP services, which means you can switch providers and still talk to your contacts. For example, SIM cards are interoperable. If you switch from Airtel to Vodafone, you will still be able to make calls with your contacts. Similar thing is not possible with popular apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal etc. If you uninstall the app, you lose all your contacts.
5. No lock in – You are not locked into our service. You can move out of our service without losing any of your contacts. We don’t stop users to talk to users from other XMPP services.
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Benefits of Prav app :
1. Create your family group for staying connected with each-other through difficult and good times.
2. Share your latest vacation photos on your family group.
3. Easy and convenient to use.
4. Good quality audio/video calls and file sharing.
5. Democratic Decision Making – All changes to the Privacy Policy will happen only with approval of those users who join Prav app cooperative society. These decisions will be made by Prav app cooperative society and users can join the cooperative society if they wish more involvement in the decision making process. Which features will be developed first will also be made democratically by the cooperative society members.
6. Elegant user interface
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How to Choose the right app :
How to choose a good instant messaging app betwen watsapp, telegram, signal, quiksy or prav ? Lets find out the answer with the help of this seminar presented by founders of Prav app. Please click on this link below :
Comparison of different apps and services
- Non-free software client and server + centralization (Example WhatsApp): does not respect user’s freedom and creates vendor lock-in.
- Free Software client but non-free server + centralization (Example Telegram): client software respects freedom, server software does not respect freedom and creates vendor lock-in.
- Free Software client and server + centralization (Example Signal): respect user’s freedom but creates vendor lock-in.
- Free Software client and server + federation (Example Matrix and XMPP app like Prav app): respects users’ freedom (as a user or as a community) and no vendor lock-in.
Problem with Watsapp :
Since WhatsApp is proprietary software, there is no way to independently verify their claim that the messages are end to end encrypted. Proprietary software means software whose source code is locked. We can only do a blind trust on their promise and that is bad.
So the actual problem is that WhatsApp is a monopoly since it forces users to accept any privacy policy WhatsApp sets without any choice. This is the research of cyber-security against watsapp written by Richard Stallman, founder of GNU-Linux Operating system on his website.
https://stallman.org/whatsapp.html
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To know about our Core team members at Prav :
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Easy onboarding :
Signing up on prav is as easy as entering your phone number and entering an OTP received by you by SMS. So you can easily bring your friends and family to prav.
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Proof of honesty of source code of Prav app :
With Prav App being Freedom or Swatantra Software, our claims of end to end encryption can be independently verified by a Code audit.
Any user can request for a code audit from a security expert. The Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) seeks to make it easier to sustainably secure the development, maintenance, and consumption of the open source software (OSS) we all depend on. This includes fostering collaboration, establishing best practices, and developing innovative solutions.
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Check Frequently Asked Questions about Prav for more details.
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Try Beta version of Prav app : Beta version of Prav app can be experienced free of charge for 3 months. After 3 months, their will be a subscription fees.
To try Beta version of Prav app, please click on the link below. Please download and install F-droid first and then the apk file of Prav app. F-droid app store is a replacement for Google App Store : https://f-droid.org/en/packages/app.prav.client/
Payment Links on Razorpay of Prav app :
We are using https://razorpay.com/docs/payments/subscriptions/
200 INR 1 year subscription
500 INR 1 year family/group subscription
Offers:
600 INR with 100 INR off if you buy 3 years (with UPI)
1500 INR with 300 INR off if you buy 3 years (with UPI)
Why Subscription?
Currently, Prav is maintained by volunteer Developers and System Administrators, which has helped push the app to the current state, but this is feasible for quick changes and fixes, and long term development, to open Prav to the Public, we cannot hope to only rely upon people’s ability to volunteer, by buying a subscription today, you could help fund the hiring of people to actively maintain Prav and its systems, allowing for stable and active work on the service.