Koo app is being positioned as an Indian alternative to TwitterKoo
Koo, an Indian alternative to Twitter, is reportedly exposing personal data of users.
A French security researcher, Robert Baptiste (@fs0c131y), has posted his findings on Twitter.
Koo has found support from India’s Hindu right wing, railway minister Piyush Goyal, and PM Modi.
Baptiste has, in the past, exposed security flaws in the Aarogya Setu app.
Koo app is reportedly exposing personal data of users, according to a French security researcher. Koo is a
desi alternative to Twitter and allows its users to post short messages just like Twitter.
According to Robert Baptiste who goes by the pseudonym Elliot Alderson (@fs0c131y), Koo is exposing sensitive user information like email address, date of birth, gender and marital status.
Baptiste has, in the past, exposed flaws in various government apps and websites, including the government-mandated
Aarogya Setu app, which the Indian authorities have
vehemently refuted.
Advertisement
He posted his findings on Twitter, including screenshots of the code he analyzed.
You asked so I did it. I spent 30 min on this new Koo app. The app is leaking of the personal data of his users: em… https://t.co/bwYznLDlv5
According to him, Koo has a domain registered in the US, but the registrant of the domain is based in China. The founders recently admitted to having a Chinese investor who, they
said, would be bought out.
We have reached out to Koo for a comment on the matter and will update the story with their statement when we receive it.
Advertisement
Koo’s co-founder Aprameya Radhakrishna took to Twitter to downplay the ‘leak’.
Some news about data leaking being spoken about unnecessarily. Please read this:The data visible is something tha… https://t.co/UgDtCnvNUH
Koo is being backed by Indian ministers as an alternative to Twitter
Koo has gained popularity of late after India’s ministers and pro-government activists started a #BanTwitter campaign on Twitter. They also started promoting Koo, which also saw Indian ministers like Piyush Goyal chip in with a tweet nudging his followers to join him on the app.
Advertisement
I am now on Koo. Connect with me on this Indian micro-blogging platform for real-time, exciting and exclusive upd… https://t.co/L09sLRtzDM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also promoted Koo in one of his monthly addresses to the people. The app also won the government’s Digital India AtmaNirbhar Bharat Innovate Challenge in 2020.
The 10-month-old app has over
3 million downloads now, registering 10x growth since December, 2020.
Next