Koo adds voluntary ‘self-verification’ feature with Aadhaar ID

Koo, the Indian social media platform, has announced a new ‘self-verification’ feature for users, which will rely on the Aadhaar ID data to verify their identity on the platform. The feature remains voluntary for all users on the platform and those who do opt for this will get a ‘green tick’ next to their name on the platform. It should be noted that this will be different from the yellow tick that Koo hands out to eminent users on the platform, who are verified in a different manner.
“Many users have told us, ‘Even I want to verify my account, but I don’t qualify. But I should have been allowed to verify myself using some government title. I do want to tell people that I’m an authentic user.’ Another user said ‘all of us should have the ability to get verified, why is it just for VIPs’. We realised that every person wants to prove their authenticity,” Mayank Bidawatka, co-founder of the Koo app, said in a press conference stating the reason behind their decision to roll out the feature.
Koo states any regular user will be able to verify themselves using this feature. Koo states that a user can simply tick on the ‘Self-Verify’ button next to their profile, enter their Aadhaar ID details, fill in the OTP sent to their number, and they will be granted the green tick. “Everyone’s profile shows the Self-Verify button. All they have to do is click on it. The process takes less than 30 seconds and you have a verification tick,” added Bidawatka.
The company claimed it will not store users’ Aadhaar data and only work with third-party authenticators for the same. The feature has been in beta-testing so far, and the co-founder said close to 5000 people have signed up for self-verification so far.
“The online world is more masked. You have people wearing masks. You don’t really know who you’re dealing with,” Bidawatka said, stating that this was one reason they were rolling out the feature. He claimed the feature will help prove authenticity and make conversations a lot healthier on the social media platform.
When asked the purpose behind this kind of self-verification, the co-founder said, “It also lends a lot of trust to the voice of the person who is creating and sharing their thoughts using that account. If you’re the reader, you will place more importance on a person’s thoughts that are verified and are proven to be authentic.”
Koo, which hopes to take on Twitter and puts stress on regional languages, has not revealed its daily active or monthly user base. The platform launched in 2020 and claims to have over 30 million downloads.