Koo launches in Nigeria as Twitter gets suspended

Koo launches in Nigeria as Twitter gets indefinitely suspended

Microblogging site Koo, which is being pushed as an Indian alternative to Twitter, is considering a focussed foray into Nigeria after the country banned Twitter on Friday.

Koo has been officially launched in Nigeria after the Nigerian government indefinitely suspended Twitter. Nigeria’s decision to suspend Twitter in the country reportedly came as a result of the US-based social networking platform deleting a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari for violating rules.

Speaking to PTI, Radhakrishnan said, “We are thinking of enabling the local language there as well. He further added that they are considering introducing a local Nigerian language into the Koo app.

He had earlier said, “Nigeria is similar to India in terms of language diversity. It has hundreds of regional languages. Koo has a global outlook and will enable micro-blogging in countries that need it the most. We have built a scalable platform, and while we are still enhancing the product, it’s already available for use in multiple countries today.

”@kooindia is available in Nigeria. We’re thinking of enabling the local languages there too. What say?” the company’s co-founder and CEO Aprameya Radhakrishna wrote on Twitter.

Back in India, too, the Bengaluru-headquartered company has expanded its presence in the backdrop of Twitter’s run-ins with the Central government.

In the last almost six months, the Centre asked Twitter to remove several tweets and suspend accounts it deemed unlawful. Twitter did not comply with these requests on all occasions leading to friction between the two sides. As per the Centre, Twitter is yet to comply with the new IT rules for digital media intermediaries.

On Saturday, Nigerian telecom operators blocked access to Twitter in the country.

In response to the ban, Twitter said: “We are deeply concerned by the blocking of Twitter in Nigeria. Access to the free and #OpenInternet is an essential human right in modern society. We will work to restore access for all those in Nigeria who rely on Twitter to communicate and connect with the world”.