Microblogging platform Koo enables Aadhaar-based self-verification

This makes Koo first 'significant social media intermediary'--defined by govt as a platform with over 5 mn users--to enable this feature

Vernacular microblogging app Koo has launched voluntary self-verification on its platform using Aadhaar, the company said on Wednesday. It plans to extend the verification feature to other government IDs like driving licence and passport in the future.

This makes Koo the first ‘significant social media intermediary’ – defined by the government as a platform with more than 5 million users – to enable this feature in accordance with Rule 4(7) the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

A Koo user can now self-verify their profile on the platform within seconds by using their government-approved identity card. Users will need to enter the government-ID number, enter the OTP,  and on successful authentication, would get self-verified with a green tick on their profile. The entire process can be completed within a few seconds and the validation process is carried out by government-authorised third-parties, the company said. Koo would not store any information during the process.

“This move empowers users to prove the authenticity of their accounts on the platform, hence lending credibility to the thoughts and opinions that they share. Voluntary self-verification promotes visibility of genuine voices,” the company said.

In addition to empowering users on the platform, the company said that this move will result in curbing online misinformation, hate speech, abuse and bullying.

Aprameya Radhakrishna, Co-founder and CEO Koo, said, “Koo is at the forefront of promoting trust and safety on social media. We are very proud to be the first social media platform in the world to launch a voluntary self-verification system.”

“This is a huge step towards lending greater authenticity to users and promoting responsible behavior on the platform. Most social media only give this power to some accounts. Koo is the first platform that has now empowered every user to have the same privilege,” he added.

Founded in March 2020, Koo has raised a total of $44.5 million across five rounds of funding, according to data from Crunchbase. Backed by investors like Tiger Global, 3One4 Capital, Kalaari Capital and Mirae, the company was reportedly valued at close to $150 million in its last funding round.

The microblogging app currently has over 30 million downloads and allows users to post in 10 languages including Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Kannada and Tamil.