Koo app CEO denies hacker’s allegations of data leak

New Delhi: The co-founder of Koo app said on Thursday that sensitive user details allegedly leaked from the platform are in fact data that users have voluntarily shared on their profiles.

“It cannot be termed a data leak. If you visit a user profile you can see it anyway,” Koo app’s founder and CEO Aprameya Radhakrishna tweeted. The Indian rival to Twitter had introduced email logins recently, he said, adding that they have since been ‘blocked from view’ after mounting concerns.



Radhakrishna’s clarification comes in the wake of data leak allegations by a French hacker—who goes by the pseudonym Elliot Alderson—that the Koo app was leaking personal data such as email, date of birth, marital status and gender, of its users.


In a follow-up to his earlier tweet, Alderson said: “Update. Koo founder commented (on) the leak. It’s a lie. I did check this point before tweeting and it was not true.”


He shared the screenshot of a user, saying he had seen personal details of the profile even though they were not publicly visible.

Alderson did not respond to requests for comment till the time of publishing this article.

“We are improving our platform day by day. All these technical issues are not something that cannot be dealt with or improved,” Radhakrishna told ET, adding that the sudden surge in the visibility and user base of the 10-month-old platform was “unexpected”.

On Koo being labelled a “right-wing” app, Radhakrishna said he and co-founder Mayank Bidawatka are “totally apolitical”.

“Our system and policies don’t understand left or right. System identifies every individual as a unique user and we as a platform have to serve all to the best of our capabilities and give the best user experience,” he said. “We are driving a platform for every Indian and like every citizen and Indian company we are bound by Indian law and its Constitution."

Koo said on Wednesday that there had been a ten-fold increase in downloads over the last 7 days, leading to a cumulative three million lifetime downloads within the country.

Also Read: Indian entrepreneurs back Koo app even as Chinese investor exits

Amid the ongoing spat between Twitter and the government, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan were among the officials and ministers to join Koo earlier this week.

Radhakrishna said he was certain more personalities across the political spectrum will join the platform in the coming days to connect with their regional audience.