New group communications app ensures privacy

A  new messenger application (app) is designed to deliver messages to recipients in a group or community in a manner that is fast, effective and private. The Nova Messenger app is especially useful for group communication required by universities, schools and companies.

Users are grouped according to student numbers, employee or identity numbers, to ensure that messages reach the correct recipients while remaining compliant with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). The app works on all entry level smartphone devices, without limitations on broadcast or group size.

Nova Messenger co-founder and CEO Nicholas Riemer explains that there is a critical need for a dedicated means of instant communication within communities, ensuring that every individual has received and read a crucial message and is able to respond to the message, if required.

“Traditional communication platforms only work en-masse if receiving parties have not changed their mobile number or email address, which is administratively difficult, if not impossible, to monitor given the large number of recipients at, for example, educational institutions where the numbers can reach tens of thousands. Nova is a unique app in that it engages with students via their student number, which never changes. This allows academics to interact with their groups of students daily, through reminders, recordings, and notes and even broadcast strategic messages to the entire collective,” he says.

Nova Messenger is targeted for use by educational institutions but can also be used by large corporates and businesses that operate in remote environments or that have a large staff complement. Riemer is also a co-founder of an artificial intelligence-powered app called The Invigilator, which was launched during Covid-19 as a tool enabling educational institutions to conduct online assessments and examinations safely and securely.

Riemer notes that educational institutions that were unable to adapt to change during the Covid pandemic could not ensure continuous learning, adding that even those institutions that were able to quickly switch to online learning, were unable to ensure that messages transmitted by means of traditional social engagement communication platforms, would reach the entire learning community in a way that was effective and ensured the privacy of users.

“Having no limit on the size of groups created through Nova Messenger allows for the scaling of bundles of individuals, regardless of where they are situated in the world. For example, a message can be delivered to an overall institution of say 60 000 for emergencies such as a fire, pandemic, or bomb scare, but also selected groups such as a class, a project team, or academia or management only. It also facilitates one-on-one conversations regardless of how many individuals are within a defined group,” explains Riemer.

The app is designed to send messages without sharing any contact information, which helps to make it POPIA-compliant and reassuring for individuals who are concerned about surveillance and the exposure of personal data.

The app can send a range of file types, including videos, lectures, voice notes, text, timetables, and examination instructions. Instead of these files being stored on a university or school learner management system, which usually requires a laptop and strong Internet connection for access, the app enables files to be sent to entry-level smartphones or devices.

“We had to consider patterns of inequitable access to digital tools to account for the diverse types of devices in use by users, particularly those who depend on or are familiar with social networking… Nova Messenger was created with learning or message distribution in mind, all the features of generic social media (communications) apply… allowing students to engage amongst themselves 24/7 through a private messaging system,” concludes Riemer.