## Colophon tags:: url:: https://www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate %% title:: New Home for Hate type:: [[clipped-note]] author:: [[@reporters-collective.in]] %% ## Notes > New Home for Hate — [view in context](https://hyp.is/fPVTLv9cEe-KJ4typg3pQw/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) ⬆️ date:: [[2025-03-12]] > The chat group, called Team Modi Supporters’ Association, exists like a cult gathering, away from the gaze of hate-speech watchdogs or election rules. They are not hosted on typical Silicon Valley tech platforms like Meta, X or Discord that are open to scrutiny, at least theoretically, but are sheltered in a chatroom of the community app called Kutumb that primarily targets grassroots political organisers seeking platforms for mobilisation. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/tFi97P9cEe-RMIuRMhFR2A/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) > The Reporters’ Collective hit upon some of them while scanning and analysing more than 13 lakh political advertisements put on Meta and Google from India between July 2023-July 2024.  Several of these players were spending lakhs of rupees on platforms like Meta to advertise their platforms’ capabilities for digital mobilisation. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/wDVGdv9cEe-lkkd5-kms-g/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) > Run by political strategists, Indian entrepreneurs and dubious entities, these platforms are largely free from restraints, creating a powerful, insulated digital world where political content can spread unchecked. Here, millions of Indians organise without fear of being flagged. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/5IoiJv9cEe-C5fMqQcs6bQ/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) > A deep scrutiny of these apps, including their documentation and corporate records, shows online hate and disinformation has proliferated beyond the large social media platforms. ‘Entrepreneurs’ in India have begun to find investors for a business which, spurred by vitriolic political campaigns on ground, is happy to profit from hate online. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/BUseGP9gEe-7X7-tbS-bRw/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) > This is a ‘market’ that political players of all hues now participate in, with BJP leading the charge. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/Eiz5lP9gEe-Jf7-AGdTBJQ/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) ⬆️ There are others involved? > The Collective found a network of facsimile apps autogenerating political posters. They are run by a political consultancy called Political Academy Private Limited. Its past directors and key management are also connected to another consultancy, Jarvis Technology & Strategy Consulting, which made BJP’s proprietary app, Sangathan Reporting and Analysis (SARAL). — [view in context](https://hyp.is/pWmkRv9gEe-HdtfKFJPENg/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) > Political Academy runs three apps – Share Post, Post Karo and Political Poster Maker – on Google Play Store with the exact same user interface where one could generate political campaign posters for Rs 99 a month. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/qUrSEP9gEe-_gNMkUnRKiw/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) > We also found one more application, Posters for B, standing out for its unequivocal support of BJP. The app page on the Google store says it has been developed by an entity called ‘Dzine Box Consulting Solutions’. The entity discloses two different addresses. On Meta the company claims it is based in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.  On its website it claims to be based out of Novus Towers in Gurugram, Haryana. We could not independently locate their office in Ayodhya. We visited the Gurugram address to find it did not operate from this office complex either. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/xNXBcP9gEe-QSXM-cW_Y-w/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) > Despite lacking a verifiable registered address or a clearly defined company name or registration with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, this entity has invested over Rs 65 lakh in advertising its poster platform, exclusively on Meta, we found. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/789w2P9gEe-e7FtafCjUmA/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) ⬆️ What checks can Meta have in this chain? And if we were to enforce checks how would they affect smaller enterprises? > “We are not affiliated to any party and we provide a solution of adding name and photo to posters that users provide us. We are a software solution and not a content provider,” came a pithy reply from someone called Adnan Ahmad.In contrast, the landing page of the app showed BJP’s logo co-joined with its own, “BP”. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/AMcdPP9hEe-MfRvI6-WZ5Q/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) > On queries about their official address, their moderation policies and details of promoters, the response was, “Rest is confidential numbers and software companies don’t provide such details.” — [view in context](https://hyp.is/D5E13P9hEe-JiIseeBz87g/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) ⬆️ 😂 > For now, apps like these remain a potent but largely unregulated force in India’s local political discourse. But these apps are indicative that Indian entrepreneurs are capitalising on the rising appetite for digital campaigning across the political spectrum, and desire for anarchy. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/Sk3AyP9hEe-rgnfJpgWjsA/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) ⬆️ What's not clear to me is where the money is coming from? The model doesn't seem monetisable at an individual level. > Kutumb describes itself as a social networking app. We found it has carved out a niche as a hyperlocal political networking site. For those Indians who are tired of being told to watch their mouth while being on networking apps where content moderation policies are more stringent, Kutumb is a desi alternative. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/g0qnTP9hEe-WMcOCv8nxkA/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) ⬆️ Interesting... > Kutumb, owned by a Bengaluru-based startup Primetrace Technologies Private Limited, was started in 2020 by graduates of some of India’s elite engineering institutes with funding from venture capitalists such as Sequoia, Tiger Global, and Whiteboard Capital. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/kXusYv9hEe-aej9CLgZZsw/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) ⬆️ Woah! > Apps like Kutumb now offer a virtual arena where local politics plays out with the same intensity as on the ground – with followers setting up local groups, generating debates, posters and memes, seeped in propaganda and disinformation. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/zchRIP9hEe-TItfMDBgjag/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) > In April 2024, this turned into a campaign post on the Kutumb group. Other posts during the time made gleeful calls to demolish the Jama Masjid, or claims that voting against the BJP was voting against Hinduism.The Collective tried to search for equivalent campaign efforts on open Kutumb groups supporting other political ideologies, including the Congress or the Bhim Army, but the commentary proved to be more benign. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/f608jv9sEe-RPwNKPcJ0uA/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) ⬆️ Commentary was more 'benign' for Congress / Bhim Army. > Kutumb has 50 million downloads on Google Play store. The apps we reviewed, including Kutumb, are filling the gaps left by larger tech platforms in niche markets: serving as tools to organise and relay information among subscribers. While they serve a purpose, the lack of oversight has also made them fertile ground for propaganda, misinformation, and hate. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/isFGnP9sEe-5Vf_9tjKREA/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) > But applications such as Kutumb fly under the radar due to lack of a formal regulatory regime to monitor online content. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/vhMtHP9sEe-hYNvWwG37YA/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) ⬆️ Umm... The regime is there, enforcement is a challenge. > The owners of the Kutumb app appear to have a content policy in place, though it seems little more than a formality. The owners do not claim any active monitoring of the posts to ensure the policy is adhered to. Instead they ask people to raise complaints by emailing addresses, which we found do not work. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/x_Ztdv9sEe-WXhcxmbAKlg/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) ⬆️ 😂 > We emailed all of these to find that our mails bounced back. The other option the app provides is to click a button on the post to report it. We tried. A pop-up said ‘post reported’ without any details or feedback. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/LPpaov9tEe-89xszyAXTwg/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) > We did a systemic review to find that, on Meta, Primetrace Technologies and its associates have placed 1,702 ads between September 2020 and February 2025,  getting seen between 173 million to 203 million times. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/b4Z81P9tEe-INLMBwpXzlg/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) ⬆️ Is the '173 million to 203 million times' number across 4 and a half years high/low/medium? > On Meta, Verma placed political ads exceeding Rs 1.88 crore for Kutumb. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/ruDkEv9vEe-cu7ef9HbgGQ/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) ⬆️ Not a very high number, no? > While the parties and political movements like Congress and Bhim Army and their followers use these apps for campaigns and advocacy, it is largely the right-wing parties, affiliates and their followers (BJP, Team Modi Supporter’s Association, Rashtriya Dharma Hindu Sangathan) that keep the app buzzing. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/8RuDbv9vEe-zKUPALbiLXA/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) > Rekha was subsequently able to trace back our reporters’ number, who was also registered on the TMSA group. The app’s owner claims information of members is not shared with ‘third parties’. This turned out to be a lie. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/L5nNMP9wEe-fCf_WR26L9Q/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) > As the financial returns for FY 24-25 are yet to be filed, The Collective cannot assess the total revenue upswing due to the elections. But what we have found is that the fortunes of these apps in the political mobilisation space are directly tied to elections. Their revenue seems to rise sharply during election season with no clear model to earn money during downtime. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/ZKTUrP9wEe-iWs9Xp85IaA/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) > Unlike Kutumb, where political mobilisation is often grassroots-driven by loosely affiliated supporters from ground up, Praja is a more structured political tool directly and openly linking political parties, candidates, and organisers with citizens. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/Vz4aJP9yEe-QjdsVxGCYxw/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) > One user, identifying as a BJP data convener, posted a Republic Day video contrasting pre-2014 and 2025 parades, arguing that displays in this year’s parade prominently featured Hindu culture while parades before 2014 catered to the Muslim community. In another post, he marked National Girl Child Day with a call to “prevent marriages of young Muslim girls to Arab sheikhs.” — [view in context](https://hyp.is/oyozKP9yEe-J68NNQCxbrw/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) ⬆️ 🤦‍♂️ > It reported no revenue for the first three fiscals but posted a revenue of Rs 21.31 lakh in financial year 2024. More than half of that was spent on Meta and Google ads to boost reach. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/1rki-P9yEe-hd7diBaWrIw/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) ⬆️ See, now this is odd. > Despite its relatively modest finances, Praja had drawn interest (read, investment) from venture capital firms, including investments from California-based Better Capital and QED Innovation Labs, backed by Cred founder Kunal Shah. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/56ja1v9yEe-j-8-INSx2kw/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate) ⬆️ What, if any, social responsibility do they have? > The venture capital funds may have bet their money on building home-grown community apps but neither they nor most of the founders seemed to see any incentive in muting the hate and disinformation on these mushrooming platforms. Quite like India’s contemporary politics. — [view in context](https://hyp.is/8mi1hv9yEe-x3-f4qcEbkw/www.reporters-collective.in/trc/new-home-for-hate)