Koo, an Indian various to Twitter, has grow to be the discuss of the city because it promotes Aatmanirbhar Bharat by providing a a Twitter-like expertise, however in Indian languages. It is out there as an app on each iOS and Android, and likewise has a webpage. Koo is the winner of the authorities’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat app problem from 2020. Although it largely light from the highlight after that, the app has once more gained reputation after Twitter refused to take down some content material that the authorities had ordered it to take away. This takedown is an ongoing matter, however in the in the meantime, authorities our bodies like MeitY, and senior politicians like Union Minister Piyush Goyal, have been tweeting about Koo and their accounts on that platform.
What is Koo?
Koo is a microblogging service similar to Twitter the place customers can categorical their opinions. It has been developed by Aprameya Radhakrishna, who’s the co-founder and CEO. Koo was launched in March final yr and it gained The Digital India AatmaNirbhar Bharat Innovate Challenge that finds the greatest Indian apps which have the potential to grow to be world class apps. The thought behind the app was to enable Indian customers to share their opinions in native languages, in accordance to the ‘about’ part on the Koo website.
“Just 10 percent 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 an internet in their language.” It goes on to state, “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.”
Koo app is out there without cost on Android and iOS, and there’s a web site as nicely the place you possibly can take a look at the feed.
Why is Koo in the news?
Koo acquired again into the highlight after Union Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted about becoming a member of the homegrown microblogging platform. This comes throughout the ongoing disagreement between the Indian authorities and Twitter. The authorities reportedly informed Twitter to take away over 1,000 accounts that it stated have been spreading misinformation and provocative content material about the protests. Twitter didn’t agree to this, and stated it did not take any motion on accounts associated to media entities, journalists, activists, and politicians.
Not simply Goyal, there are different senior politicians who’re utilizing Koo, together with Minister of Electronics and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad and Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. Government ministries and departments comparable to the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), Central Board of Indirect Taxes (CBIC), National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), India Post, MyGovIndia, Digital India, and National Informatics Centre (NIC), amongst others, are additionally on the platform.
How do I obtain Koo?
Koo is a free app obtainable on each Android and iOS. Alternatively, customers can head to Google Play and seek for “Koo”. The app is known as “Koo: Connect with Indians in Indian Languages” on Google Play. It is known as simply “Koo” on the App Store with Bombinate Technologies Private Limited as the supplier.
You can head to the website and click on on the Google Play or App Store obtain choices to be redirected to a obtain link.
What are Koo’s options?
Koo has options which might be fairly comparable to Twitter. It permits customers to comply with people and flick through a feed. Users can write messages in textual content or share them in audio or video codecs. It has Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Tamil, and English language choices, with different coming quickly. It additionally permits individuals to categorical their opinions of their native languages.
Messages may be written up 400 characters and are known as “Koo”. There are language communities which primarily present all content material in a selected language.
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