Yubo

French social networking app

Yubo, or Yellow, is a French social networking app.[3] The app has 60 million users as of 2022.[4]

Yubo (app)
Developer(s)Twelve APP
Operating systemiOS[1] & Android[2]
Available in9 languages
Websiteyubo.live/en

History change

Yubo's creators consisted of three people. Back then, they were engineering students at CentraleSupélec Graduate school of the Paris-Saclay University and Télécom Paris.[5] It was first released in 2015.[6][7]

The COVID-19 pandemic gave the app its popularity.[8] The daily signups reached 30,000 per day in mid-April.

In September 2020, Yubo started in the U.S. in Jacksonville, Florida.[9] At the same time, Yubo opened a new office in London.[10][11] Yubo raised over $47.5 million (€40 million) in November 2020.

In November 2021, they made another office in New York City.[12]

Live streaming video is the main feature. There can be up to ten people recording. Viewers can choose which livestreams to go to.

Users can filter out what content they like. The same goes for rating people.[13][14] There is no like button or any number of "followers".[15][16]

Verified profiles change

The programming contains face recognition. It is useful for verifying ages. Those who go against the technology have to download Yoti.[17][18]

Negative impact change

Safety issues change

Yubo had increased media attention after the app popularized in 2019. The app was described as a "Tinder for Teens",[19] paying attention to the swiping feature. People were suspicious of their children engaging in online dating.

Illegal actions have been reported,[20][21] such as predatory behavior, grooming, and child pornography.

Using the facial recognition technology, Yubo has deleted accounts that are under 13.

In 2018, Yubo worked to prevent cyberbullying.[22]

In 2020, Yubo created a program with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children that scans for any bad content. The livestream is deleted when bad content is found.

In July 2021, Yubo was updated with the Muted Words feature. Users can choose to block people by muting them.[23]

Uvalde school shooting change

The Robb Elementary School shooting caused the app to receive negative feedback. The one who shot everyone still had his profile up on Yubo. After four days, the account was taken down.[24][25]

References change

  1. "Yubo: Make real friends live". App Store. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  2. "Yubo – Livestream, chat, joue, fais-toi des amis". App Store. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  3. "Yubo is a social network about socializing". TechCrunch. 11 June 2019. Retrieved 2020-04-16.[permanent dead link]
  4. Klein, Alyson (2022-06-06). "Yubo and Other Social Apps Popular With Kids: Facts and Cautions for Educators". Education Week. ISSN 0277-4232. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
  5. "Sacha Lazimi (Yubo) : la social discovery à la française". Planete Business (in French). 2020-04-06. Archived from the original on 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  6. "Yubo, l'application pour ados qui inquiète les parents". www.cnews.fr (in French). Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  7. "Yubo lève 11 millions pour développer sa plateforme pour la génération Z". Challenges (in French). 12 December 2019. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  8. "Yubo adds digital currency to Gen Z social app". Business of Apps. 2021-07-07. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  9. Gibbons, Timothy (28 September 2020). "French social media app Yubo sets up U.S. headquarters in Jacksonville". Jacksonville Business Journal. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  10. Guihéneuf, Léna (2020-10-09). "Le réseau social français Yubo s'implante à Londres". French Morning London (in French). Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  11. "Yubo, the Leading Social Space for Gen Z, Opens New London HQ". MarTech Series. 2020-09-16. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  12. "Un bureau à New York pour Yubo, le réseau social des ados". French Morning US (in French). 2021-11-11. Archived from the original on 2022-01-25. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  13. "The Yubo social app". Internet Matters. 2018-03-16. Archived from the original on 2020-04-03. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  14. Bosilkovski, Igor (2020-04-18). "Social Platform For Teens Yubo Triples Its Daily New Users Amid The Coronavirus Crisis". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  15. Waters, Michael (2020-09-30). "Can you fund a social media company like a video game?". The Hustle. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  16. "Yubo raises $12.3 million for its social app for teens". TechCrunch. 12 December 2019. Retrieved 2020-04-16.[permanent dead link]
  17. Bindley, Katherine (2020-02-24). "Don't Talk to Strangers? These Apps Encourage It". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  18. "Teen social media app uses facial recognition to check users' ages". www.telegraph.co.uk. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  19. "Teens using Yubo may be at risk – study". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  20. "Man accused of sexually exploiting 12-year-old he met on Yubo app". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  21. KCBD Staff (July 5, 2022). "Lubbock man accused of soliciting child pornography through French social app". KCBD.com. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  22. "Roblox and Yubo join Australian efforts to tackle cyberbullying | Office of the eSafety Commissioner". 2018-08-14. Archived from the original on 2018-08-14. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  23. "Yubo launches ability to mute words to increase user safety". Mumbrella. 2021-07-16. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  24. "Texas gunman was nicknamed 'the Yubo school shooter' on messaging app". Sky News. Retrieved 2022-05-28.
  25. "Yubo explained and why it has emerged as part of Uvalde shooting probe". ABC News. Retrieved 2022-05-28.

Other websites change