Texas-based app fueling protests in Ukraine, Venezuela

A man shouts "Glory to the Ukraine" during a funeral procession for anti-government protesters killed in clashes with the police at Independence Square in Kiev, Ukraine. The social uprisings and protests, both in Ukraine and Venezuela, have had a helping hand from Texas, as a new walkie-talkie app developed in Austin has been aiding protesters to communicate. less A man shouts "Glory to the Ukraine" during a funeral procession for anti-government protesters killed in clashes with the police at Independence Square in Kiev, Ukraine. The social uprisings and protests, both ... more Photo: Marko Drobnjakovic Photo: Marko Drobnjakovic Image 1 of / 104 Caption Close Texas-based app fueling protests in Ukraine, Venezuela 1 / 104 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — An app founded in Austin is enabling large groups of anti-government protesters in Ukraine and Venezuela to communicate and mobilize in real-time, and the South American country's government already has attempted to block downloads of the app.

Zello is a free app which allows the user to use the device like a walkie-talkie and channels can be as small as 2 and as large as hundreds of thousands. The mobile device app quickly became a favorite of Ukranian anti-government protesters over the months of unrest in the Eastern European country and has been downloaded more than 600,000 times in a few days in Venezuala, according to Quartz, a business news publication.

The Venezuelan government last Thursday blocked access to the app and its website inside the country. Zello's CEO Bill Moore was flooded with complaints from users in Venezuela and acted quickly to find a workaround within 24 hours with the help of internet technicians and programmers.

“This was the most important thing in the company,” Moore told Defense One, a national defense publication, adding that he takes no part in the politics within the country, but disagrees with the principle of censorship.

The app was developed in Austin in 2011 and has been downloaded more than 50 million times, according to Quartz.

Protesters in the countries have used the app to organize marches, call for medical help and schedule events, among other things. The openness of the app - allowing anyone to log in to an open channel and join - has fueled the app's popularity.

Venezuelan anti-government protesters have taken issue with the country's high rate of violence, an unstable economy with some of the highest inflation rates in the world and government corruption under the administration of President Nicolas Maduro.

kparker@express-news.net Twitter: @KoltenParker