Koo App – The Indian Alternative To Twitter: Everything You Need To Know

Koo App has been in the limelight for the last few days. Amid the ongoing controversy between the Microblogging site Twitter and the Indian Government, Koo has got a chance to take its place. People are curious about the new horse in the race. Therefore, we’re sharing all information to give satisfaction to the curiosity aroused regarding the Koo.

  1. About the App and Users
  2. The team behind the Koo App
  3. Features
  4. The controversy between Twitter and the Indian Government

About the App and Users

Koo is a micro-blogging social media platform. It provides a platform to share opinions, personal updates, and have discussions around various interesting topics. It has been awarded second prize in Aatmanirbhar App Challenge by the Government of India. Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, once mentioned Koo App in his monthly radio address, Man Ki Baat. It also got featured as Google Play Store’s Best Daily Essential App for 2020.

Know about the Koo App in their words. Here’s what they have mentioned on their website.

“Just 10% of India speaks English. Almost 1 billion people in India don’t know English. Instead, they speak one of India’s 100s of languages. They are now getting access to smartphones and would love the internet in their language. However, the majority of the internet has been in English. Koo is an attempt to make the voice of these Indians heard. They can now participate on the internet in their mother tongue by listening to the views of some of the sharpest Indian minds and also speak their mind by sharing their thoughts.”

After the recent Twitter controversy, many prominent celebrities have been actively joining this platform. This list includes politicians like Piyush Goyal, Ravishankar Prasad; author Amish Tripathi; spiritual leader Sadhguru; from the entertainment industry – Anupam Kher, Subhash Ghai, etc.; cricketer Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath; and many more. Along with celebrities, Koo has attracted many government and non-government organizations like MyGov, India Post, Bombay Stock Exchange(BSE), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology(MeitY), and many other organizations.

The Team behind the Koo App

Koo was launched in March 2020. It was launched by the founder company Bombinate Technologies Private Limited. The same company which had earlier founded the Indian Quora – Vokal. The company is said to have all Indian investment with a leading investor is 3one4 capital. The company said in a recent statement that, “Koo is a fully Aatmanirbhar App with Indian founders and India registration.” Aprameya Radhakrishnan is a co-founder and CEO of Koo App. He recently announced that an existing Chinese investor in Bombintine Tech, Shunwei, will be fully exiting from the company.

Features

Koo App is an Indian microblogging platform that is considered as an alternative to the Twitter.
Source : Google Play Store
  • Microblogging – Share posts up to 400 words.
  • Follow profiles and get updates in the feed.
  • Experience microblogging in various Indian languages.
  • Explore trending topics.
  • It connects Indians in Indian languages.

The Controversy between Twitter and the Indian Government

A few days back, after the riots at Red Fort on 26th January, the Government of India instructed Twitter to block a few Twitter accounts and tweets. These accounts and tweets were said to have linked to Khalistani sympathizers, and other anti-social elements which are a threat to Indian law and order. Some of them were also said to have functioned as automated bots and backed by Pakistan or foreign territories.

Initially, Twitter withheld a few accounts under their Country Withheld Content Policy in response to a legal notice sent by the Government of India. However, after a few hours, Twitter revoked the ban from those blocked accounts. In addition, after a couple of days on 4th February, the Government sent a list to block around 1100 Twitter accounts to Twitter. But, The platform did not take any action against this. Moreover, the Microblogging giant reverted back saying that those flagged accounts cannot be blocked based on their foundational principle of “Free Expression”.

This inaction and selective action of Twitter ignited the anger within the Government against the platform. After that, India’s Information and Technology Minister, Ravishankar Prasad, asked Social Media sites to do their business following the Indian Constitution and law & order.

The same minister is one of the earliest prominent personalities joining the Koo App. So, the Twitter-Government clash has opened a bridge for the Koo App to make a special space in the Indian market. Koo App is trying to get the best out of this. As a result, they are actively attracting users as “Fully Aatmanirbhar App, made in India and registered in India”.

Also Read: How To Save WhatsApp Status Videos and Photos?

Download Koo App on Android and iOS and try this Indian Alternative of Twitter and let us know your feedback.

Yash Patel

Yash is the Digital Chef of this delicious DiGiTAL BiRYANi. His passion lies in technology and food. He is an Internet and Social Media enthusiast. He is a very active and productive internet user. He believes that Your Social Media Presence is as much important as Your Social Presence.

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