Koo, Google publish maiden compliance reports under govt’s new IT rules

Tech giant Google and microblogging platform Koo have published their maiden monthly compliance report as mandated by the IT rules.

Koo has proactively moderated 54,235 content pieces, while 5,502 posts were reported by its users during June, the homegrown company said.

Google had said 27,762 complaints were received by Google and YouTube in April this year from individual users in India over alleged violation of local laws or personal rights, which resulted in the removal of 59,350 pieces of content.

Koo said it was the first Indian social media platform to release its monthly compliance report as required under the IT guidelines that came into force on May 26.

Koo said its report for June 2021 shows that of the 5,502 Koos (posts) reported by its user community, 22.7 per cent (1,253) were removed, while 'other action' was taken against the rest (4,249 Koos).

Similarly, Koo took steps to proactively moderate 54,235 Koos, of which 2.2 per cent (1,996) were removed, while 'other action' was taken against the rest (52,239), Koo said in an email to PTI.

'Other action' includes overlay, blur, ignore, warning etc on Koos that do not comply with the guidelines.

Koo - which has over 6 million users - said its compliance report would be published and available on the first day of each month and, where appropriate, will include additional insights.

Under the new IT rules, large digital platforms - with over 5 million users - will have to publish periodic compliance reports every month, mentioning the details of complaints received and action taken thereon.

The report will also include the number of specific communication links or parts of information that the intermediary has removed or disabled access to in pursuance of any proactive monitoring conducted by using automated tools.

"As Koo gains traction across India, we will ensure that Koo respects the law of the land and meets the requirements, enabling every country to define its own digital ecosystem. This Compliance Report is one step in that direction," Koo co-founder and CEO Aprayameya Radhakrishna said.

He added that Koo will continue to make efforts to make social media a safe place for all users.

Earlier this week, social media giant Facebook had said it will publish an interim report on July 2 providing information on the number of content it removed proactively between May 15-June 15. The final report will be published on July 15, containing details of user complaints received and action taken. The July 15 report will also contain data related to WhatsApp.

The popularity of Koo in the country has peaked amid the Indian government's spat with Twitter and growing calls for expanding the ecosystem of homegrown digital platforms.

Koo, which was founded in 2020, has witnessed a massive growth in its user base over the past few months, after union ministers and government departments in India endorsed the homegrown microblogging platform.

The Twitter rival allows users to express their views on its platform in multiple Indian languages.