<s>
ICQ	B-Protocol
New	O
is	O
a	O
cross-platform	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
(	O
IM	O
)	O
and	O
VoIP	B-Application
client	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
name	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
derives	O
from	O
the	O
English	O
phrase	O
"	O
I	B-Protocol
Seek	I-Protocol
You	I-Protocol
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
client	O
application	O
and	O
service	O
were	O
initially	O
released	O
in	O
November	O
1996	O
,	O
freely	O
available	O
to	O
download	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICQ	B-Protocol
was	O
among	O
the	O
first	O
stand-alone	O
instant	B-Application
messenger	I-Application
(	O
IM	O
)	O
applications	O
—	O
while	O
real-time	O
chat	B-Protocol
was	O
not	O
in	O
itself	O
new	O
(	O
Internet	B-Protocol
Relay	I-Protocol
Chat	I-Protocol
(	O
IRC	B-Protocol
)	O
being	O
the	O
most	O
common	O
platform	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
concept	O
of	O
a	O
fully	O
centralized	O
service	O
with	O
individual	O
user	O
accounts	O
focused	O
on	O
one-on-one	O
conversations	O
set	O
the	O
blueprint	O
for	O
later	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
services	O
like	O
AIM	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
its	O
influence	O
is	O
seen	O
in	O
modern	O
social	O
media	O
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICQ	B-Protocol
became	O
the	O
first	O
widely	O
adopted	O
IM	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
its	O
peak	O
around	O
2001	O
,	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
had	O
more	O
than	O
100	O
million	O
accounts	O
registered	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
Mail.Ru	O
Group	O
,	O
which	O
owns	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
,	O
decided	O
to	O
launch	O
new	O
software	O
,	O
"	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
New	O
"	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
its	O
messenger	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2022	O
,	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
had	O
about	O
11	O
million	O
monthly	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
second	O
week	O
of	O
January	O
2021	O
,	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
saw	O
a	O
renewed	O
increase	O
in	O
popularity	O
in	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
,	O
spurred	O
on	O
by	O
the	O
controversy	O
over	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
's	I-Application
privacy	O
policy	O
update	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Private	O
chats	B-Protocol
are	O
a	O
conversation	O
between	O
two	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
logging	O
into	O
an	O
account	O
,	O
the	O
chat	B-Protocol
can	O
be	O
accessed	O
from	O
any	O
device	O
thanks	O
to	O
cloud	O
synchronization	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
user	O
can	O
delete	O
a	O
sent	O
message	O
at	O
any	O
time	O
either	O
in	O
their	O
own	O
chat	B-Protocol
or	O
in	O
their	O
conversation	O
partner	O
's	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
notification	O
will	O
be	O
received	O
instead	O
indicating	O
that	O
the	O
message	O
has	O
been	O
deleted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Any	O
important	O
messages	B-Protocol
from	O
group	O
or	O
private	O
chats	B-Protocol
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
an	O
unlimited	O
number	O
and	O
size	O
of	O
media	O
content	O
,	O
can	O
be	O
sent	O
to	O
the	O
conversation	O
with	O
oneself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Essentially	O
,	O
this	O
chat	B-Protocol
acts	O
as	O
a	O
free	O
cloud	O
storage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
are	O
special	O
chats	B-Protocol
where	O
chats	B-Protocol
can	O
take	O
place	O
of	O
up	O
to	O
25	O
thousand	O
participants	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
user	O
can	O
hide	O
their	O
phone	O
number	O
from	O
other	O
participants	O
;	O
there	O
is	O
an	O
advanced	O
polling	O
feature	O
;	O
there	O
is	O
the	O
possibility	O
to	O
see	O
which	O
group	O
members	O
have	O
read	O
a	O
message	O
,	O
and	O
notifications	O
can	O
be	O
switched	O
off	O
for	O
messages	B-Protocol
from	O
specific	O
group	O
members	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Channel	O
authors	O
can	O
publish	O
posts	O
as	O
text	O
messages	B-Protocol
and	O
also	O
attach	O
media	O
files	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
the	O
post	O
is	O
published	O
,	O
subscribers	O
receive	O
a	O
notification	O
as	O
they	O
would	O
from	O
regular	O
and	O
group	O
chats	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Smart	O
answers	O
are	O
short	O
phrases	O
that	O
appear	O
above	O
the	O
message	O
box	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
answer	O
messages	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICQ	B-Protocol
New	O
analyzes	O
the	O
contents	O
of	O
a	O
conversation	O
and	O
suggests	O
a	O
few	O
pre-set	O
answers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICQ	B-Protocol
New	O
makes	O
it	O
possible	O
to	O
send	O
audio	O
messages	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Aside	O
from	O
text	O
messaging	B-Protocol
,	O
users	O
can	O
call	O
each	O
other	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
arrange	O
audio	O
or	O
video	O
calls	O
for	O
up	O
to	O
five	O
people	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
video	O
call	O
,	O
AR-masks	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICQ	B-Protocol
users	O
are	O
identified	O
and	O
distinguished	O
from	O
one	O
another	O
by	O
UIN	O
,	O
or	O
User	O
Identification	O
Numbers	O
,	O
distributed	O
in	O
sequential	O
order	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Issued	O
UINs	O
started	O
at	O
'	O
10,000	O
'	O
(	O
5	O
digits	O
)	O
and	O
every	O
user	O
receives	O
a	O
UIN	O
when	O
first	O
registering	O
with	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
other	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
software	O
or	O
web	B-Application
applications	I-Application
,	O
on	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
the	O
only	O
permanent	O
user	O
info	O
is	O
the	O
UIN	O
,	O
although	O
it	O
is	O
possible	O
to	O
search	O
for	O
other	O
users	O
using	O
their	O
associated	O
e-mail	O
address	O
or	O
any	O
other	O
detail	O
they	O
have	O
made	O
public	O
by	O
updating	O
it	O
in	O
their	O
account	O
's	O
public	O
profile	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
2000	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
and	O
AIM	B-Protocol
users	O
were	O
able	O
to	O
add	O
each	O
other	O
to	O
their	O
contact	O
list	O
without	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
any	O
external	O
clients	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
(	O
The	O
AIM	B-Protocol
service	O
has	O
since	O
been	O
discontinued	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
response	O
to	O
UIN	O
theft	O
or	O
sale	O
of	O
attractive	O
UINs	O
,	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
started	O
to	O
store	O
email	O
addresses	O
previously	O
associated	O
with	O
a	O
UIN	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
founding	O
company	O
of	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
,	O
Mirabilis	O
,	O
was	O
established	O
in	O
June	O
1996	O
by	O
five	O
Israeli	O
developers	O
:	O
Yair	O
Goldfinger	O
,	O
Sefi	O
Vigiser	O
,	O
Amnon	O
Amir	O
,	O
Arik	O
Vardi	O
,	O
and	O
Arik	O
's	O
father	O
Yossi	O
Vardi	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICQ	B-Protocol
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
text-based	O
messengers	O
to	O
reach	O
a	O
wide	O
range	O
of	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
technology	O
Mirabilis	O
developed	O
for	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
was	O
distributed	O
free	O
of	O
charge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICQ	B-Protocol
's	O
management	O
changed	O
at	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Under	O
the	O
leadership	O
of	O
the	O
new	O
CEO	O
,	O
Orey	O
Gilliam	O
,	O
who	O
also	O
assumed	O
the	O
responsibility	O
for	O
all	O
of	O
AOL	O
's	O
messaging	B-Protocol
business	O
in	O
2007	O
,	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
resumed	O
its	O
growth	O
;	O
it	O
was	O
not	O
only	O
a	O
highly	O
profitable	O
company	O
,	O
but	O
one	O
of	O
AOL	O
's	O
most	O
successful	O
businesses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eliav	O
Moshe	O
replaced	O
Gilliam	O
in	O
2009	O
and	O
became	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
's	O
managing	O
director	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2010	O
,	O
AOL	O
sold	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
to	O
Digital	O
Sky	O
Technologies	O
,	O
headed	O
by	O
Alisher	O
Usmanov	O
,	O
for	O
$187.5	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
was	O
displaced	O
by	O
AOL	B-Protocol
Instant	I-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
,	O
Google	B-Application
Talk	I-Application
,	O
and	O
other	O
competitors	O
in	O
the	O
U.S.	O
and	O
many	O
other	O
countries	O
over	O
the	O
2000s	O
,	O
it	O
remained	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
network	O
in	O
Russian-speaking	O
countries	O
,	O
and	O
an	O
important	O
part	O
of	O
online	O
culture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
acquisition	O
,	O
Mail.ru	O
has	O
invested	O
in	O
turning	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
from	O
a	O
desktop	O
client	O
to	O
a	O
mobile	O
messaging	B-Protocol
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2013	O
,	O
around	O
half	O
of	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
's	O
users	O
were	O
using	O
its	O
mobile	O
apps	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
2014	O
,	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
users	O
began	O
growing	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
since	O
the	O
purchase	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2016	O
,	O
the	O
source	O
code	O
of	O
the	O
client	O
was	O
released	O
under	O
the	O
Apache	B-Application
license	I-Application
on	O
github.com	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICQ	B-Protocol
99a/b	O
the	O
first	O
releases	O
that	O
were	O
widely	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICQ	B-Protocol
2000	O
incorporated	O
into	O
Notes	O
and	O
Reminder	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICQ	B-Protocol
2001	O
included	O
server-side	O
storage	O
of	O
the	O
contact	O
list	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
19	O
,	O
2002	O
,	O
AOL	O
Time	O
Warner	O
announced	O
that	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
had	O
been	O
issued	O
a	O
United	O
States	O
patent	O
for	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICQ	B-Protocol
2002	O
was	O
the	O
last	O
completely	O
advertising-free	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICQ	B-Protocol
Pro	O
2003b	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
version	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
protocol	O
version	O
10	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
5	O
and	O
5.1	O
use	O
version	O
9	O
of	O
the	O
protocol	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICQ	B-Protocol
2002	O
and	O
2003a	O
used	O
version	O
8	O
of	O
the	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
protocol	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Earlier	O
versions	O
(	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
2001b	O
and	O
all	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
clients	O
before	O
it	O
)	O
used	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
protocol	O
version	O
7	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICQ	B-Protocol
4	O
and	O
later	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
5	O
(	O
released	O
on	O
Monday	O
,	O
February	O
7	O
,	O
2005	O
)	O
,	O
were	O
upgrades	O
on	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
Lite	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICQ	B-Protocol
Lite	I-Protocol
was	O
originally	O
an	O
idea	O
to	O
offer	O
the	O
lighter	O
users	O
of	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
an	O
alternative	O
client	O
which	O
was	O
a	O
smaller	O
download	O
and	O
less	O
resource-hungry	O
for	O
relatively	O
slow	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICQ	B-Protocol
5	O
introduced	O
skins	B-Application
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
few	O
official	O
skins	B-Application
available	O
for	O
the	O
current	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
5.1	O
at	O
the	O
official	O
website	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
user-generated	O
skins	B-Application
have	O
been	O
made	O
available	O
for	O
download	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICQ	B-Protocol
6	O
,	O
released	O
on	O
April	O
17	O
,	O
2007	O
,	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
major	O
update	O
since	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
4	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
has	O
been	O
redesigned	O
using	O
Boxely	O
,	O
the	O
same	O
rendering	O
engine	O
used	O
in	O
AIM	B-Protocol
Triton	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
change	O
adds	O
new	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
send	O
IMs	B-Application
directly	O
from	O
the	O
client	O
's	O
contact	O
list	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICQ	B-Protocol
has	O
recently	O
started	O
forcing	O
users	O
of	O
v5.1	O
to	O
upgrade	O
to	O
version	O
6	O
(	O
and	O
XP	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Those	O
who	O
do	O
not	O
upgrade	O
will	O
find	O
their	O
older	O
version	O
of	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
does	O
not	O
start	O
up	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
July	O
2008	O
,	O
a	O
network	O
upgrade	O
forced	O
users	O
to	O
stop	O
using	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
5.1	O
-	O
applications	O
that	O
identified	O
themselves	O
as	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
5	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Pidgin	B-Protocol
,	O
were	O
forced	O
to	O
identify	O
themselves	O
as	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
6	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
seems	O
to	O
be	O
no	O
alternative	O
for	O
users	O
other	O
than	O
using	O
a	O
different	O
IM	O
program	O
or	O
patching	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
5.1	O
with	O
a	O
special	O
application	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICQ	B-Protocol
7.0	O
,	O
released	O
on	O
January	O
18	O
,	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
update	O
includes	O
integration	O
with	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
other	O
websites	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
allows	O
custom	O
personal	O
status	O
similar	O
to	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Live	I-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
(	O
MSN	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICQ	B-Protocol
7.0	O
does	O
not	O
support	O
traditional	O
Chinese	O
on	O
standard	O
installation	O
or	O
with	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
an	O
official	O
language	O
pack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICQ	B-Protocol
8	O
,	O
released	O
on	O
February	O
5	O
,	O
2012	O
-	O
"	O
Meet	O
the	O
new	O
generation	O
of	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
,	O
Enjoy	O
free	O
video	O
calls	O
,	O
messages	B-Protocol
and	O
SMS	O
,	O
social	O
networks	O
support	O
and	O
more.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
ICQ	B-Protocol
10.0	O
,	O
released	O
January	O
18	O
,	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AOL	O
pursued	O
an	O
aggressive	O
policy	O
regarding	O
alternative	O
(	O
"	O
unauthorized	O
"	O
)	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
clients	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2008	O
,	O
changes	O
were	O
implemented	O
on	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
servers	O
causing	O
many	O
unofficial	O
clients	O
to	O
stop	O
working	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
users	O
received	O
an	O
official	O
notification	O
from	O
"	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
System	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
9	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
another	O
change	O
to	O
the	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
servers	O
occurred	O
:	O
clients	O
sending	O
Client	O
IDs	O
not	O
matching	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
5.1	O
or	O
higher	O
stopped	O
working	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
29	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
the	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
press	O
service	O
distributed	O
a	O
statement	O
characterizing	O
alternative	O
clients	O
as	O
dangerous	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
January	O
21	O
,	O
2009	O
,	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
servers	O
started	O
blocking	O
all	O
unofficial	O
clients	O
in	O
Russia	O
and	O
Commonwealth	O
of	O
Independent	O
States	O
countries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICQ	B-Protocol
не	O
поддерживает	O
используемую	O
вами	O
версию	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Скачайте	O
бесплатную	O
авторизованную	O
версию	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
с	O
официального	O
web-сайта	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
version	O
you	O
are	O
using	O
is	O
not	O
supported	O
by	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Download	O
a	O
free	O
authorized	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
version	O
from	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
's	O
official	O
website.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
icq.com	B-Protocol
there	O
was	O
an	O
"	O
important	O
message	O
"	O
for	O
Russian-speaking	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
users	O
:	O
"	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
осуществляет	O
поддержку	O
только	O
авторизированных	O
версий	O
программ	O
:	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
Lite	I-Protocol
и	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
6.5.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
27	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
announced	O
it	O
was	O
to	O
stop	O
supporting	O
unofficial	O
clients	O
,	O
affecting	O
many	O
users	O
who	O
prefer	O
a	O
compact	O
size	O
using	O
Miranda	B-Protocol
NG	I-Protocol
and	O
other	O
clients	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
28	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
stopped	O
working	O
on	O
some	O
unofficial	O
clients	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
late	O
March	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
stopped	O
working	O
on	O
the	O
Pidgin	B-Protocol
client	O
,	O
as	O
initiated	O
in	O
December	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
a	O
Novaya	O
Gazeta	O
article	O
published	O
in	O
May	O
2018	O
,	O
Russian	O
intelligence	O
agencies	O
had	O
access	O
to	O
online	O
reading	O
of	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
users	O
 '	O
correspondence	O
during	O
crime	O
investigations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
article	O
examined	O
34	O
sentences	O
of	O
Russian	O
courts	O
,	O
during	O
the	O
investigation	O
of	O
which	O
the	O
evidence	O
of	O
the	O
defendants	O
 '	O
guilt	O
was	O
obtained	O
by	O
reading	O
correspondence	O
on	O
a	O
PC	O
or	O
mobile	B-Application
devices	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Of	O
the	O
fourteen	O
cases	O
in	O
which	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
was	O
involved	O
,	O
in	O
six	O
cases	O
the	O
capturing	O
of	O
information	O
occurred	O
before	O
the	O
seizure	O
of	O
the	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
the	O
rival	O
service	O
Telegram	B-Application
blocks	O
all	O
access	O
for	O
the	O
agencies	O
,	O
the	O
Advisor	O
of	O
the	O
Russian	O
President	O
,	O
Herman	O
Klimenko	O
,	O
recommended	O
to	O
use	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AOL	O
's	O
OSCAR	B-Application
network	O
protocol	O
used	O
by	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
is	O
proprietary	B-Application
and	O
using	O
a	O
third	O
party	O
client	O
is	O
a	O
violation	O
of	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
Terms	O
of	O
Service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Meetro	B-Protocol
:	O
IM	O
and	O
social	O
networking	O
combined	O
with	O
location	O
;	O
supports	O
AIM	B-Protocol
,	O
ICQ	B-Protocol
,	O
MSN	B-Protocol
,	O
Yahoo	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
