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Remember Orkut? Now here to say Hello

Bhana Bisht

13 Apr 2018 08:33 IST

New Update

There's some major upheaval among social networking sites. While Facebook is facing the music due to its data breach controversy, Orkut has paved its way into India once again with a new social networking platform "Hello".

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According to reports, Hello has been set up by Orkut Büyükkökten, who founded Orkut. Once a major player in the social media space, Orkut shut down its services in 2014, having lost its lustre to rivals like Facebook.

Also: Data protection in India is priority as part of building safety nets

Büyükkökten said that their aim is to create positive, meaningful, authentic connections and sustained social engagement.

“If you look at social media today, it has isolated people instead of bringing them closer. It has become more about broadcasting than sharing. We need a fresh start. Hello is built around interest-based communities where users with same interests can connect, leading to true connections.”

Taking a dig at Facebook’s worldwide controversial data breach, Büyükkökten said the company “does not have to sell user data to get revenues”.

Substantially, Hello has been introduced in India before markets such as the US. Büyükkökten has assured that selling data is not a part of the monetisation model.

“When a user signs up, they are asked about five things that they are passionate about and then get recommendations that are non-intrusive. We also ensure that every advertiser has a profile on Hello (for greater accountability),” Orkut said. No user information is shared with third-party apps, he added.

publive-image Photo credit: HUFFPOST

The Hello app, which is available on the App store and Google Play store, introduces itself as below:

"Hello is a social network that connects you with communities of people who share your interests, around the world and in your neighborhood. Make new friends when you join communities from over 1000+ various interests. Meet people who love what you do, and discover interesting things people are sharing. Hello is the next evolution of orkut.com. Join Hello and find communities where you’ll make lifelong friends. It’s time to make social networking fun again!"

It conveys a message for Orkut users as well:

"We know you loved Orkut! Think of Hello as the next evolution of orkut.com but don’t expect it to be the same. You won’t find your old Orkut pictures and communities here, BUT you can expect to find many new communities, interesting people and features that you’ll love. Give it a try, we’ll see you inside :)"

Also: Online Safety: Take A Leap On The Internet, But Be Smart, Say Experts

Facebook's loss is Orkut's gain

publive-image Zuckerberg testifying before the senators | Photo credit: Financial Times

Facebook has been accused of breaching personal data of over millions of users illegally in order to influence polls in many countries. CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before the US Congress earlier this week. In his defence, he stated that his organisation valued the integrity of elections across the world, including India. Facebook, which has over 20 crore users in India, admitted earlier that nearly 5.62 lakh people were “potentially affected”.

This has come at a time when users are boycotting Facebook and resorting to other platforms. Hello, after India, will roll out its service in its home market, the United States, as well as in countries like France and Germany. The app already has 10,000+ installs on Android.

Also Read: Internet safety brings more opportunities for women in India

Featured Image credit: Livemint

Bhawana is an intern with SheThePeople.Tv

internet safety Facebook #markzuckerburg facebook she the people

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