<s>
Vero	B-Application
(	O
stylized	O
as	O
VERO	B-Application
)	O
is	O
a	O
social	O
media	O
platform	O
and	O
mobile	B-Application
app	I-Application
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vero	B-Application
markets	O
itself	O
as	O
a	O
social	O
network	O
free	O
from	O
advertisements	O
,	O
data	O
mining	O
and	O
algorithms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
app	O
launched	O
officially	O
in	O
2015	O
as	O
an	O
alternative	O
to	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
their	O
popular	O
photo-blogging	O
app	O
Instagram	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cosplayers	O
were	O
early	O
to	O
adopt	O
the	O
app	O
as	O
their	O
photo-sharing	O
platform	O
of	O
choice	O
,	O
favouring	O
the	O
app	O
's	O
pinch	O
and	O
zoom	O
magnification	O
feature	O
over	O
Instagram	B-Application
's	O
zoom	O
feature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2018	O
,	O
Vero	B-Application
's	O
popularity	O
surged	O
,	O
partly	O
helped	O
by	O
an	O
exodus	O
from	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
Instagram	B-Application
following	O
the	O
Cambridge	O
Analytica	O
data	O
scandal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
wake	O
of	O
the	O
scandal	O
,	O
Vero	B-Application
devised	O
an	O
advertising	O
campaign	O
aimed	O
at	O
defected	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
Instagram	B-Application
users	O
,	O
hoping	O
the	O
app	O
's	O
policies	O
and	O
privacy	O
settings	O
would	O
assuage	O
concerns	O
over	O
sharing	O
personal	O
information	O
on	O
the	O
internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Within	O
the	O
space	O
of	O
one	O
week	O
,	O
the	O
app	O
went	O
from	O
being	O
a	O
small	O
service	O
,	O
akin	O
to	O
Ello	B-Algorithm
or	O
Peach	B-Algorithm
,	O
to	O
being	O
the	O
most	O
downloaded	O
app	O
in	O
eighteen	O
countries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2020	O
,	O
Vero	B-Application
released	O
its	O
most	O
significant	O
update	O
to	O
date	O
,	O
Vero	B-Application
2.0	O
which	O
introduced	O
new	O
features	O
including	O
voice	O
and	O
video	O
calls	O
,	O
game	O
and	O
app	O
posts	O
and	O
bookmarks	O
,	O
and	O
refinements	O
to	O
the	O
UI	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2021	O
,	O
Vero	B-Application
introduced	O
their	O
Desktop	O
app	O
(	O
beta	O
)	O
with	O
multiple	O
post	O
options	O
and	O
a	O
re-sizable	O
multi-column	O
feed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vero	B-Application
's	O
content	O
feed	O
resembles	O
Instagram	B-Application
's	O
although	O
users	O
can	O
share	O
a	O
wider	O
variety	O
of	O
content	O
and	O
the	O
app	O
has	O
a	O
chronological	O
content	O
feed	O
whereas	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
Instagram	B-Application
's	O
feeds	O
are	O
algorithm	O
based	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vero	B-Application
's	O
business	O
plan	O
is	O
also	O
distinct	O
from	O
similar	O
social	O
media	O
apps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Whereas	O
its	O
competitors	O
such	O
as	O
Facebook	B-Application
or	O
Instagram	B-Application
make	O
money	O
from	O
in-app	O
advertising	O
revenue	O
and	O
the	O
sale	O
of	O
user	O
data	O
,	O
Vero	B-Application
's	O
business	O
plan	O
was	O
to	O
invite	O
the	O
first	O
one	O
million	O
users	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
app	O
for	O
free	O
then	O
charge	O
any	O
subsequent	O
users	O
a	O
subscription	O
fee	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
app	O
was	O
entirely	O
funded	O
by	O
its	O
founder	O
and	O
generated	O
additional	O
revenues	O
by	O
charging	O
affiliate	O
fees	O
when	O
someone	O
buys	O
a	O
product	O
they	O
find	O
on	O
Vero	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
exclusive	O
interview	O
with	O
Viralhare	O
's	O
Byron	O
Lafayette	O
,	O
founder	O
Ayman	O
Harari	O
said	O
of	O
the	O
app	O
"	O
The	O
thought	O
pattern	O
for	O
Vero	B-Application
is	O
to	O
go	O
to	O
nature	O
,	O
the	O
answers	O
are	O
in	O
the	O
real	O
world	O
not	O
our	O
screens	O
or	O
in	O
the	O
code.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Vero	B-Application
was	O
recognized	O
at	O
the	O
2021	O
Webbys	O
,	O
being	O
named	O
as	O
an	O
Honoree	O
in	O
the	O
Best	O
Visual	O
Design	O
-	O
Aesthetic	O
Category	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vero	B-Application
has	O
faced	O
some	O
criticism	O
over	O
the	O
wording	O
of	O
their	O
manifesto	O
,	O
in	O
particular	O
,	O
the	O
statement	O
"	O
Vero	B-Application
only	O
collects	O
the	O
data	O
we	O
believe	O
is	O
necessary	O
to	O
provide	O
users	O
with	O
a	O
great	O
experience	O
and	O
to	O
ensure	O
the	O
security	O
of	O
their	O
accounts.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
Vero	B-Application
remains	O
transparent	O
about	O
the	O
app	O
's	O
Russian	O
development	O
team	O
,	O
they	O
have	O
been	O
caught	O
up	O
in	O
concerns	O
about	O
Russian	O
interference	O
on	O
social	O
media	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Until	O
2013	O
,	O
Vero	B-Application
's	O
founder	O
Ayman	O
Harari	O
was	O
deputy	O
CEO	O
and	O
chairman	O
of	O
Saudi	O
Oger	O
,	O
the	O
Saudi	O
Arabian	O
construction	O
company	O
which	O
collapsed	O
in	O
2017	O
,	O
mired	O
by	O
controversies	O
over	O
the	O
welfare	O
and	O
treatment	O
of	O
their	O
employees	O
.	O
</s>
