The on-going scuffle between the Indian government and Twitter over the blocking of accountsĀ thanks toĀ the farmerās protest has resulted in a win-win situation for the Indian app Koo. This app has seenĀ a considerableĀ push from the IT ministers in India.Ā within theĀ last few days,Ā it’sĀ seen a massive surge in the number of users as more than 1 million users have already installed Koo on their phones. The user rating of 4.7 on the Google Play Store has also helped the appĀ to realizeĀ huge popularity in the country.
What is Koo?
The KooĀ may be aĀ micro-blogging platform that was developed by Bombinate Technologies Pvt Ltd in March last year. The app was available on the Google Play store forĀ an extendedĀ time but it came into prominence only after the scuffle began between the Indian Government and Twitter. In August last year, the app wonĀ the distinguishedĀ AatmaNirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge which was organized by the Union IT Ministry.
Is the Koo App similar to Twitter?
The Koo app looks veryĀ almost likeĀ Twitter and it allows the user to express his/her thoughts on the platform. A userĀ also canĀ share videos and audio,Ā just like theĀ posts of other users, andĀ discussĀ them.Ā almost likeĀ the retweet feature, users have the āre-Kooā feature. The appĀ is out thereĀ in English and a few other Indian languages such as Hindi, Kannada, Marathi et al. Many famous Indian personalities like Javagal Srinath,Ā ShankarĀ Prasad, and Anil Kumble are already using Koo. While the PMĀ isn’tĀ yet on Koo, he did mention it on his program āMan ki Baatā when addressingĀ the state.
Who are the Investors of Koo?
In February 2021, Koo achievedĀ a seriousĀ landmark by raising $4.10 million from a gamut of investors includingĀ a corporationĀ that is backed by none other than Mohandas Pai, CEO of Infosys, and Kalaari Capital among others.
How to Download Koo?
The appĀ is oftenĀ downloaded either from Google Play Store or the iOS app store. The KooĀ are oftenĀ accessed from the web app also. The user just needsĀ a legitimateĀ phone number on which the OTP will come from Koo to facilitate registration on the app.
Why is the timing so important?
On 31st January the Centre asked TwitterĀ to damĀ a massive 257 URLs and one hashtag due to the misinformation that they were spreading about the farmerās protest. Although Twitter blocked them afterĀ each day, it soon unblocked them afterĀ someĀ hours much to the dismay of the Indian government. The Centre then issued an order seeking compliance on the matter failingĀ the govtĀ is determined to take penal action.
