ZKTOR’s arrival reframes social media as infrastructure, not influence, at a time when Gen Z questions ownership, safety, and control

Across Sri Lanka, a generational shift is underway in how young people perceive digital platforms. For Gen Z and the emerging Alpha generation, social media is no longer seen as neutral space. It is recognised as an environment that shapes behaviour, opportunity, and social outcomes. As algorithmic systems driven by artificial intelligence gain influence, questions of who controls these systems and for whose benefit have become unavoidable.

It is against this backdrop that ZKTOR has entered beta testing in Sri Lanka. Developed by Softa Technologies Limited, the platform approaches social media as long term digital infrastructure rather than a tool for rapid engagement. Its architecture is built on privacy by design and zero knowledge principles, ensuring that user behaviour cannot be profiled, monetised, or analysed through centralised surveillance systems.

ZKTOR’s technical framework applies multi layer encryption across all content and communication, while its media design prevents unauthorised downloading or redistribution. User data remains geographically bounded, addressing regional concerns around data sovereignty and external dependency. These safeguards are embedded at the system level rather than enforced through changing policies, reflecting a deliberate design choice.

This approach is closely linked to the background of Sunil Kumar Singh, the platform’s chief architect. Having spent over twenty years in Finland, Singh worked within Nordic digital environments where institutional restraint, transparency, and user dignity are foundational. His work with ZKTOR translates those principles into a South Asian context defined by scale, linguistic plurality, and uneven digital literacy.

The platform’s governance decisions further distinguish it. ZKTOR has been developed without venture capital funding and without government grants, maintaining debt free operations. This independence limits external influence on data governance and platform direction, an uncommon position in an industry where growth incentives often override user protection.

ZKTOR’s Sri Lanka beta follows mass testing already underway in India and Nepal, where the platform is available on both Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Bangladesh is set to join Sri Lanka in upcoming testing phases, reinforcing its regional orientation. Beyond safety and governance, ZKTOR’s model introduces economic implications. Its operations prioritise local moderation, technical roles, and ecosystem participation, creating pathways for youth engagement and skilled digital employment within the region.

As Sri Lanka’s youth reconsider what digital participation should mean, ZKTOR’s entry does not offer instant solutions. It offers something more consequential: the possibility that future platforms can be designed to serve users before algorithms, and societies before scale.

Image Caption – Press conference held in India