Koo Adds Voluntary Self-Verification via Government-Issued ID Cards: Here’s How to Verify Your Account

Koo has announced a Voluntary Self-Verification functionality for all its users. The Indian micro-blogging platform will use a government-issued ID or Aadhaar number to verify the identity of users on the platform. Similar to verified profiles on Twitter and Instagram, all self-verified profiles on Koo will have a green tick next to the account name. Koo, which offers a Twitter-like experience in Indian languages, said the Aadhaar data will not be stored as only the OTP will be required for the verification. The verification is said to be carried out by government-authorised third parties.

Koo on Wednesday announced the launch of the Voluntary Self-Verification service to its users. The new feature will rely on government-approved ID cards for verification and is said to bring credibility to its platform. The company claims that it has enabled this feature in compliance with Rule 4(7) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

As mentioned, users will be able to verify themselves by linking their Koo accounts to a government-issued ID or Aadhaar number.

How to self verify your Koo account

If you have an Indian phone number linked to your Aadhaar Number or government ID, you can follow these steps to self-verify your Koo account:

1. Open your profile on the Koo app and click on Self-Verify.
2. Enter your 12-digit Aadhaar number.
3. Enter the one-time password (OTP) that you have received on your Aadhaar-linked phone number and verify.

Once the OTP is submitted successfully, a self-verification tick will display next to your name. The company said it is taking third-party service to verify users. Koo claims that it will not store Aadhaar details of users.

Koo, an Indian alternative to Twitter, was launched in March 2020. Koo's major rivals in the space, Instagram and Twitter, offer verification badges to verified accounts.