<s>
Viber	B-Application
,	O
or	O
Rakuten	O
Viber	B-Application
,	O
is	O
a	O
cross-platform	B-Operating_System
voice	B-Application
over	I-Application
IP	I-Application
(	O
VoIP	B-Application
)	O
and	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
(	O
IM	O
)	O
software	O
application	O
owned	O
by	O
Japanese	O
multinational	O
company	O
Rakuten	O
,	O
provided	O
as	O
freeware	B-License
for	O
the	O
Google	B-Application
Android	I-Application
,	O
iOS	B-Application
,	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
Apple	O
macOS	B-Application
and	O
Linux	B-Application
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
it	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
exchange	B-Protocol
media	O
such	O
as	O
images	O
and	O
video	O
records	O
,	O
and	O
also	O
provides	O
a	O
paid	O
international	O
landline	O
and	O
mobile	O
calling	O
service	O
called	O
Viber	B-Application
Out	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
software	O
was	O
developed	O
in	O
2010	O
by	O
Cyprus-based	O
Viber	B-Application
Media	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
bought	O
by	O
Rakuten	O
in	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
2017	O
,	O
its	O
corporate	O
name	O
has	O
been	O
Rakuten	O
Viber	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Viber	B-Application
Media	I-Application
was	O
founded	O
in	O
Tel	O
Aviv	O
,	O
Israel	O
,	O
in	O
2010	O
by	O
Talmon	O
Marco	O
and	O
Igor	O
Magazinnik	O
,	O
who	O
are	O
friends	O
from	O
the	O
Israel	O
Defense	O
Forces	O
where	O
they	O
were	O
chief	O
information	O
officers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Marco	O
and	O
Magazinnik	O
are	O
also	O
co-founders	O
of	O
the	O
P2P	O
media	O
and	O
file-sharing	O
client	O
iMesh	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Marco	O
commented	O
that	O
Viber	B-Application
allows	O
instant	O
calling	O
and	O
synchronization	O
with	O
contacts	O
because	O
the	O
ID	O
is	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
cell	O
number	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
its	O
first	O
two	O
years	O
of	O
availability	O
,	O
Viber	B-Application
did	O
not	O
generate	O
revenues	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
began	O
doing	O
so	O
in	O
2013	O
,	O
via	O
user	O
payments	O
for	O
Viber	B-Application
Out	O
voice	O
calling	O
and	O
the	O
Viber	B-Application
graphical	O
messaging	O
"	O
sticker	O
market	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
24	O
July	O
2013	O
,	O
Viber	B-Application
's	O
support	O
system	O
was	O
defaced	O
by	O
the	O
Syrian	O
Electronic	O
Army	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Viber	B-Application
,	O
no	O
sensitive	O
user	O
information	O
was	O
accessed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
13	O
February	O
2014	O
,	O
Rakuten	O
announced	O
they	O
had	O
acquired	O
Viber	B-Application
Media	I-Application
for	O
$900	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
sale	O
of	O
Viber	B-Application
earned	O
the	O
Shabtai	O
family	O
(	O
Benny	O
,	O
his	O
brother	O
Gilad	O
,	O
and	O
Gilad	O
's	O
son	O
Ofer	O
)	O
some	O
$500	O
million	O
from	O
their	O
55.2	O
%	O
stake	O
in	O
the	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Djamel	O
Agaoua	O
became	O
Viber	B-Application
Media	I-Application
CEO	B-Application
in	O
February	O
2017	O
,	O
replacing	O
co-founder	O
Marco	O
who	O
left	O
in	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2017	O
the	O
corporate	O
name	O
of	O
Viber	B-Application
Media	I-Application
was	O
changed	O
to	O
Rakuten	O
Viber	B-Application
and	O
a	O
new	O
wordmark	B-Device
logo	O
was	O
introduced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
legal	O
name	O
remains	O
Viber	B-Application
Media	I-Application
,	O
S.à	O
r.l.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2017	O
,	O
Rakuten	O
Viber	B-Application
and	O
the	O
World	O
Wildlife	O
Fund	O
engaged	O
in	O
a	O
commercial	O
transaction	O
aimed	O
at	O
raising	O
awareness	O
and	O
protecting	O
wildlife	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
first	O
using	O
RV	O
to	O
spread	O
its	O
message	O
in	O
June	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
International	O
Federation	O
of	O
the	O
Red	O
Cross	O
launched	O
an	O
official	O
chatbot	B-Application
and	O
Community	O
on	O
the	O
messaging	B-Application
app	I-Application
to	O
combat	O
the	O
spread	O
of	O
false	O
information	O
,	O
which	O
they	O
termed	O
an	O
infodemic	O
,	O
about	O
COVID-19	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
chatbot	B-Application
is	O
still	O
active	O
as	O
of	O
June	O
2022	O
,	O
with	O
over	O
1.4	O
million	O
subscribers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2020	O
,	O
Rakuten	O
Viber	B-Application
and	O
the	O
World	O
Health	O
Organization	O
(	O
the	O
WHO	O
)	O
engaged	O
in	O
a	O
commercial	O
transaction	O
for	O
a	O
chatbot	B-Application
to	O
inform	O
users	O
of	O
issues	O
such	O
as	O
women	O
's	O
health	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
4	O
November	O
2014	O
,	O
Viber	B-Application
scored	O
1	O
out	O
of	O
7	O
points	O
on	O
the	O
Electronic	O
Frontier	O
Foundation	O
's	O
"	O
Secure	O
Messaging	O
Scorecard	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Viber	B-Application
received	O
a	O
point	O
for	O
encryption	O
during	O
transit	O
but	O
lost	O
points	O
because	O
communications	O
were	O
not	O
encrypted	O
with	O
keys	O
that	O
the	O
provider	O
did	O
not	O
have	O
access	O
to	O
(	O
i.e.	O
</s>
<s>
the	O
code	O
was	O
not	O
open-source	B-Application
)	O
,	O
the	O
security	O
design	O
was	O
not	O
properly	O
documented	O
,	O
and	O
there	O
had	O
not	O
been	O
a	O
recent	O
independent	O
security	O
audit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
14	O
November	O
2014	O
,	O
the	O
EFF	O
changed	O
Viber	B-Application
's	O
score	O
to	O
2	O
out	O
of	O
7	O
after	O
it	O
had	O
received	O
an	O
external	O
security	O
audit	O
from	O
Ernst	O
&	O
Young	O
's	O
Advanced	O
Security	O
Centre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
19	O
April	O
2016	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
announcement	O
of	O
Viber	B-Application
version	O
6.0	O
,	O
Rakuten	O
added	O
end-to-end	O
encryption	O
to	O
their	O
service	O
,	O
but	O
only	O
for	O
one-to-one	O
and	O
group	O
conversations	O
in	O
which	O
all	O
participants	O
are	O
using	O
the	O
latest	O
Viber	B-Application
version	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
iOS	B-Application
,	O
Windows	O
(	O
Win32	B-Library
)	O
or	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
(	O
UWP	B-Device
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
encryption	B-Protocol
protocol	I-Protocol
had	O
only	O
been	O
audited	O
internally	O
,	O
and	O
promised	O
to	O
commission	O
external	O
audits	O
"	O
in	O
the	O
coming	O
weeks	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2016	O
,	O
Viber	B-Application
published	O
an	O
overview	O
of	O
their	O
encryption	B-Protocol
protocol	I-Protocol
,	O
saying	O
that	O
it	O
is	O
a	O
custom	O
implementation	O
that	O
"	O
uses	O
the	O
same	O
concepts	O
"	O
as	O
the	O
Signal	B-Protocol
Protocol	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
,	O
Viber	B-Application
had	O
800	O
million	O
registered	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Viber	B-Application
messenger	I-Application
is	O
very	O
popular	O
in	O
Greece	O
,	O
Eastern	O
Europe	O
,	O
Russia	O
,	O
the	O
Middle	O
East	O
,	O
and	O
some	O
Asian	O
markets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
India	O
was	O
the	O
largest	O
market	O
for	O
Viber	B-Application
as	O
of	O
December	O
2014	O
with	O
33	O
million	O
registered	O
users	O
,	O
the	O
fifth	O
most	O
popular	O
instant	B-Application
messenger	I-Application
in	O
the	O
country	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Viber	B-Application
is	O
particularly	O
popular	O
in	O
Eastern	O
Europe	O
,	O
being	O
the	O
most	O
downloaded	O
messaging	B-Application
app	I-Application
on	O
Android	B-Application
in	O
Belarus	O
,	O
Moldova	O
and	O
Ukraine	O
as	O
of	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2018	O
,	O
Viber	B-Application
had	O
an	O
over	O
70	O
percent	O
penetration	O
rate	O
in	O
the	O
CIS	O
and	O
CEE	O
regions	O
,	O
but	O
only	O
15	O
percent	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Viber	B-Application
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
more	O
popular	O
messenger	O
applications	O
in	O
Russia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2016	O
,	O
Viber	B-Application
surpassed	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
in	O
Russia	O
,	O
with	O
about	O
50	O
million	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
September	O
2021	O
,	O
Viber	B-Application
is	O
Ukraine	O
's	O
most	O
popular	O
messaging	B-Application
app	I-Application
,	O
with	O
a	O
market	O
share	O
of	O
97.7	O
%	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Viber	B-Application
's	O
market	O
share	O
in	O
Bulgaria	O
is	O
steadily	O
increasing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
number	O
of	O
calls	O
made	O
and	O
messages	O
sent	O
via	O
Viber	B-Application
in	O
Bulgaria	O
rose	O
by	O
11%	O
in	O
2021	O
,	O
reaching	O
approximately	O
530	O
million	O
calls	O
and	O
an	O
average	O
of	O
400	O
messages	O
per	O
second	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
data	O
presented	O
by	O
the	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2021	O
,	O
over	O
90%	O
of	O
people	O
in	O
Greece	O
have	O
Viber	B-Application
on	O
their	O
phones	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
the	O
top	O
messaging	B-Application
app	I-Application
in	O
the	O
country	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Viber	B-Application
is	O
the	O
top	O
messenger	O
in	O
Serbia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
November	O
2021	O
,	O
over	O
90%	O
of	O
Serbians	O
have	O
Viber	B-Application
on	O
their	O
phone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Viber	B-Application
was	O
initially	O
launched	O
for	O
iPhone	B-Device
on	O
2	O
December	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
launched	O
on	O
BlackBerry	B-Operating_System
and	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
on	O
8	O
May	O
2012	O
,	O
followed	O
by	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
platform	I-Application
on	O
19	O
July	O
2012	O
,	O
and	O
Nokia	O
's	O
Series	B-Operating_System
40	I-Operating_System
,	O
Symbian	B-Operating_System
and	O
Samsung	O
's	O
Bada	B-Operating_System
platform	O
on	O
24	O
July	O
2012	O
,	O
by	O
which	O
time	O
the	O
application	O
had	O
90	O
million	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2013	O
with	O
Viber	B-Application
3.0	O
,	O
a	O
desktop	O
version	O
for	O
Windows	O
and	O
macOS	B-Application
was	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2013	O
,	O
Viber	B-Application
for	O
Linux	B-Application
was	O
released	O
as	O
a	O
public	O
beta	O
and	O
in	O
August	O
2014	O
a	O
final	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2016	O
a	O
UWP-based	O
desktop	O
application	O
for	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
was	O
released	O
in	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Store	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
desktop	O
versions	O
are	O
tied	O
with	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
registered	O
Viber	B-Application
mobile	O
number	O
,	O
but	O
can	O
operate	O
independently	O
afterwards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2015	O
,	O
a	O
version	O
for	O
the	O
iPad	B-Device
tablet	O
and	O
Apple	B-Device
Watch	I-Device
smartwatch	O
was	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Viber	B-Application
was	O
originally	O
launched	O
as	O
a	O
VoIP	B-Application
application	O
for	O
voice	O
calling	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
31	O
March	O
2011	O
,	O
Viber	B-Application
2.0	O
was	O
released	O
which	O
added	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
(	O
IM	O
)	O
capabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2012	O
group	O
messaging	O
and	O
an	O
HD	B-Algorithm
Voice	I-Algorithm
engine	O
were	O
added	O
to	O
both	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
iOS	B-Application
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2012	O
Viber	B-Application
added	O
'	O
stickers	O
 '	O
to	O
the	O
application	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2013	O
,	O
Viber	B-Application
4.0	O
was	O
announced	O
featuring	O
a	O
sticker	O
'	O
market	O
 '	O
where	O
Viber	B-Application
would	O
be	O
selling	O
stickers	O
as	O
a	O
source	O
of	O
revenue	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
version	O
4.0	O
introduced	O
push-to-talk	O
capabilities	O
,	O
and	O
Viber	B-Application
Out	O
,	O
a	O
feature	O
that	O
provides	O
users	O
the	O
option	O
to	O
call	O
mobile	O
and	O
landline	O
numbers	O
via	O
VoIP	B-Application
without	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
the	O
application	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Voice	O
support	O
was	O
officially	O
added	O
for	O
all	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
8	O
devices	O
on	O
2	O
April	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2014	O
,	O
Viber	B-Application
5.0	O
was	O
released	O
and	O
introduced	O
video	B-Application
calling	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2016	O
,	O
Viber	B-Application
version	O
6.5	O
launched	O
Public	O
Accounts	O
to	O
allow	O
brands	O
to	O
engage	O
in	O
promotion	O
and	O
customer	O
service	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
,	O
with	O
initial	O
partners	O
including	O
The	O
Huffington	O
Post	O
,	O
Yandex	O
and	O
The	O
Weather	O
Channel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
app	O
integrates	O
with	O
CRM	O
software	O
and	O
offers	O
chatbot	B-Application
APIs	B-Application
for	O
customer	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Viber	B-Application
Communities	O
,	O
an	O
enhanced	O
group	O
chat	O
feature	O
,	O
was	O
introduced	O
in	O
February	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Viber	B-Application
communities	O
are	O
protective	O
of	O
their	O
users	O
 '	O
privacy	O
since	O
neither	O
superadmins	O
nor	O
admins	O
can	O
see	O
members	O
 '	O
phone	O
numbers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2020	O
,	O
Viber	B-Application
launched	O
message	O
statistics	O
to	O
go	O
along	O
with	O
Community	O
insights	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Today	O
,	O
many	O
different	O
kinds	O
of	O
chatbots	B-Application
are	O
also	O
available	O
on	O
the	O
app	O
,	O
including	O
those	O
providing	O
essential	O
information	O
,	O
quizzes	O
,	O
and	O
more	O
.	O
</s>
