Koo: All you need to know about this 'desi' Twitter

Koo is a micro-blogging platform and like Twitter, the platform can be used to express views and opinions on various topics

Amid Twitter's ongoing tension with the Centre, many users are calling for boycotting the micro-blogging platform. While many are flocking to 'desi' platforms to support the government's AatmaNirbhar Bharat vision, one indigenous app has managed to gain prominence.

Koo, a micro-blogging platform and like Twitter, is a platform that allows one to express views and opinions on various topics and in multiple Indian languages.

Also read — Twitter underlines free speech, caps some flagged accounts

With many ministers and departments lining up to join swadeshi Twitter alternative Koo app, here's all you need to know:

1. The social media platform, developed by Bombinate Technologies Private Limited, has been on Google Play Store and Apple App Store for quite a while but only now, it is coming into prominence in India.

2. It was developed by Aprameya Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidawatka in March 2020.

3. In August 2020, Koo won the AatmaNirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge organised by the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and since then over a million people have installed the social media app on both Android and iOS. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had encouraged people to use Koo in one of his 'Mann Ki Baat'.

4. The Koo app supports multiple Indian languages including Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi. While Assamese, Marathi, Malayalam, Bangla, Oriya, Gujarati, Punjabi, and others will be added soon. According to the app's own words, "Koo is an attempt to make the voice of these Indians heard."

5. Regarding confidentiality and privacy, Koo says, "Your Personal Information is maintained by us in electronic form. Such information may also be converted to physical form from time to time. We shall take all necessary precautions to protect your personal information both online and off-line and implement reasonable security practices and measures including certain managerial, technical, operational and physical security control measures that are commensurate with respect to the information being collected and the nature of our business."

Read: Aatmanirbhar Bharat: Union ministries line up to join swadeshi Twitter alternative Koo app

6. Koo is available for download on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. The app has an average rating of 4.7 stars on Google Play Store and 4.1 on the iOS App Store.

7. Prominent personalities like Piyush Goyal, Sadhguru, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath etc use Koo to express themselves every day.

8. Several union ministries and departments including Common Services Center, Digital India, Digi Locker, India Post, National Informatics Centre (NIC), National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology (NIELIT), MeitY, MyGov, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), and UMANG app and others have joined the Koo social media platform.

9. On February 8, Koo raised $4.1 million (approx. Rs 29.89 crore) as part of its Series A funding. Infosys co-founder TV Mohandas Pai (now part of 3one4 Captial) has joined the board of investors of the company.

10. Given the present scenario between the Centre and Twitter, it looks like Koo may give Jack Dorsey's platform a run for its money. Koo is consiered much better than its peer Tooter, which is a bad spoof version of Twitter.