Frequently Asked Questions
Clear, honest answers about Nivara's architecture, privacy protections, non-profit governance, and engine strategy.
Why did Nivara choose Gecko over Chromium?
Chromium is directly governed by Google, whose primary commercial interest is behavioral advertising. Chromium continuously introduces ad-friendly APIs (such as the Topics API) while weakening ad-blockers (Manifest V3 restrictions). Gecko is the only independent, non-Chromium web engine, offering memory-safe Rust components (Quantum DOM, Stylo CSS, WebRender) and full support for powerful WebExtensions.
How is Nivara funded if it does not sell data or show ads?
Nivara Browser is operated as a public-interest digital technology product of the Navavritti Foundation, a Section 8 non-profit institution. Funding is sourced entirely from philanthropic grants, non-commercial CSR partnerships, and transparent individual contributions. We have no shareholders, venture capital investors, or ad-revenue dependencies.
Does Nivara require an account to download or use?
No. Nivara is 100% functional out-of-the-box on first launch. We do not ask for your email address, phone number, or login credentials to browse the web or receive updates.
Can I install extensions like uBlock Origin, Bitwarden, or Dark Reader?
Yes. Nivara provides complete support for all standard Firefox WebExtensions on desktop and Android. You can install extensions directly from the Mozilla Add-ons (AMO) catalog.
How does Nivara count downloads without logging IP addresses?
Our download server processes inbound download requests by transiently deriving a coarse country code and metropolitan region in volatile RAM. It performs an atomic increment query into pre-aggregated counters (e.g. +1 download in India / Windows x64) and immediately purges the request IP address. No raw IP addresses are ever written to database tables or permanent logs.
How does Nivara differ from Tor Browser?
Tor Browser routes all traffic through the three-hop decentralized Tor onion network to conceal your IP address from destination websites, which can result in slower speeds and Cloudflare CAPTCHAs. Nivara brings Tor Browser's advanced anti-fingerprinting defenses (Resist Fingerprinting / RFP) to regular high-speed clearnet browsing for everyday use.
What is the current release status of Nivara?
Nivara is currently in Stage 2: Invited Technical Beta (Version 1.0.0-beta.4). Active builds exist for Windows x64, macOS Apple Silicon (ARM64), and Linux x64. Distribution is conducted via controlled cryptographic invitations while real-world security, compatibility, and zero-telemetry boundaries are evaluated.
When will Android and iOS editions be available?
Android (GeckoView-based) and iOS/iPadOS (WebKit-based privacy edition) are currently in active research & development (Planned for Phase 14–15). Real mobile packages will be released following desktop stabilization.
How are software updates verified?
Every update package is cryptographically signed using Ed25519 Minisign with the Navavritti Foundation production master key. The browser verifies SHA-256 checksums, authenticates Minisign signatures, enforces anti-downgrade checks, and rejects revoked releases prior to staging.
How can I report a security vulnerability?
Security disclosures are handled privately through our Security Directorate at security@navavritti.org. We maintain a strict 24-hour initial triage target for critical vulnerabilities and publish coordinated advisories on our Security Centre.