Amid the spat with Twitter over blocking of accounts related to farmers' protests, the NDA government is planning to use homegrown Koo as the primary platform for dissemination of information.
The government may ask all the ministers and top officials to open their accounts on Koo and use it for announcements or sharing of info or communication with public. Same info will be shared on Twitter two to three hours later. However, there is also a view in the government that first into can be shared in Koo and after 15 to 30 minutes same can be shared on Twitter, sources said.
The government beĺieves that Koo is a homegrown company and all its data is stored in India itself. Since the company is promoted and controlled by Indians, there is no worry if Chinese invested in it, said an official in the government.
The Centre may ask the BJP and NDA-ruled states to join Koo platform, sources in the government said. The Ministry of Electronics and Information (Meity) is likely to share a protocol with the various ministries soon on using Koo, sources said.
At present, the government is using Twitter as the primay port for communication with public, sources said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to join Koo once its get more subscribers.
The tussle was on between Twitter and the government after the Meity asked the US-based company to block 1435 accounts which the Meity says used to provoke protesting farmers.
Reluctant Twitter finally blocked 98% of accounts after the Meity Secretary warned it of penal action if it failed to follow the law of the land.
Twitter refused to block accounts of some media houses and civil rights activists saying it has to uphold freedom of speech.
The government was upset after Twitter founder Jack Dorsey 'like'd some tweets made in support of farmers' protests.
(Published 15 February 2021, 10:10 IST)
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