The micro-blogging platform shows commitment to free and fair polls Will prioritize grievance redressal to expedite turnarounds and protect users
National: Taking a step towards safeguarding conversations on social media related to the forthcoming elections, the Koo App has adopted the ‘Voluntary Code of Ethics’. Created by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), the Voluntary Code of Ethics was first presented ahead of the 2019 General Elections by the IAMAI to the Election Commission of India. The Code aspires to fair and ethical use of social media during elections. By embracing the Code of Ethics ahead of the Legislative Assembly Elections scheduled between February and March 2022 in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur, the Koo App assures users of its commitment to safe and fair elections, while ensuring accountability as a responsible social media platform.
The made-in-India platform – which empowers Indians to express themselves in their mother tongue – will follow directions given by the Election Commission of India to limit any violations of the electoral code. The Koo App will inform and educate users, and enhance their confidence in the electoral laws and practices.
As a significant social media intermediary, the platform has in place a dedicated Grievance Redressal Cell that facilitates turnarounds in a timely manner, protects users from abusive and hateful content, and promotes responsible online behavior. The multi-lingual platform – which enables users to share thoughts in 10 languages – was the first Indian social media platform to roll out a Compliance Policy and regularly furnishes compliance reports in adherence to the prevailing regulatory guidelines, and proactively moderates content that is inconsistent with the rules.
Said Aprameya Radhakrishna, Co-founder & CEO, Koo, “Today, social media plays an extremely important role in people’s lives. It could be instrumental in educating people about the electoral process, as well as influencing them in their decision-making. As an unbiased, transparent and reliable social media platform, Koo is devoted to the letter and spirit of the Voluntary Code of Ethics created by the IAMAI; and will work towards enabling a free and fair election, which is the hallmark of any democracy. Our best-in-class compliance and grievance redressal mechanisms will provide users with a safe online environment to express their thoughts and connect with their communities in a language of their choice. The Koo App endeavors to identify best practices and workable solutions to provide our users with a secure and immersive language experience.”
About Koo
The Koo App was launched in March 2020 as a multi-lingual, micro-blogging platform to enable Indians to express themselves online in their mother tongue. The Koo App’s smart features are currently available in 10 languages – Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Assamese, Bengali and English. In India, where not more than 10% of people converse in English, the Koo App democratizes the voice of Indians by empowering them to share thoughts and express freely in a language of their choice.
Among its innovative features, the platform’s translation feature enables the real-time translation of a post across the slew of Indian languages, while retaining the sentiment and context of the original text. This enhances reach and garners greater traction for a user. The Koo App has 20 million downloads and is actively leveraged by people of eminence across politics, sports, media, entertainment, spirituality, and art & culture to connect with their target audience in their native language.
