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Remembering Lee Kuan Yew; Yik Yak Taking Over U.S. College Campuses; Video Surfaces of ISIS Recruiting In Afghanistan; Tunisian Prime Minister Reassures Tourists; Time, Money Running out on Greece. Aired 8:00-9:00A ET

Aired March 23, 2015 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[08:00:13] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And welcome to News Stream where news and technology meet.

Now Singapore says good-bye to its founding father. Lee Kuan Yew has passed away at the age of 91.

Plus, exclusive new video shows ISIS recruiting supporters in Afghanistan. We have a live report from Kabul.

And an anonymous app serves controversy. Critics say Yik Yak enables cyberbullying. And we'll hear from its creators.

Today, Singapore mourns the loss of its founding father. Lee Kuan Yew has died at the age of 91. The long serving prime minister will forever be

remembered as the man who transformed a small colonial trading posts with few natural resources into a global financial center.

Now CNN's Jonathan Mann looks at the life and legacy of one of Asia's most influential and revered leaders.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN MANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A gleaming modern city-state of 5 million people, a financial center, with a reputation for clean government

and a clean environment, a high standard of living, and an educated and wealthy population: this is the legacy of Lee Kuan Yew, prime minister for

more than 30 years, towering influence on the skyscraper city-state for half a century. It is his son Lee Hsien Loong who rules Singapore today.

LEE KUAN YEW, SINGAPORE FOUNDING FATHER: What is it I'm trying to do? I'm trying to create in a third-world situation a first world oasis.

MANN: Born in Singapore in 1923, Lee was a fourth generation ethnic Chinese. After studying law at Cambridge University in England, he

returned home and entered politics.

In the early 1960s, he led the small island from British colony, to brief union in Malaysia, to full independence. Overcoming racial tensions

at home, and pressures from Communist insurgency and instability in its much larger neighbors, the city-state underwent a remarkable transformation

from an economic backwater to one of the most developed cities in Asia.

Some praised Lee as a visionary, but others called him authoritarian. He tolerated little dissent and was criticized for his government's tight

control over the press and political activity. Human rights activists attacked the city-state's use of caning as a criminal punishment and the

use of the death penalty. Lee was unapologetic about his approach.

LEE: I'm not following any prescription given me by any theoretician on democracy or whatever. I work from first principles what will get me

there? Social peace and stability within the country. No fight between the races, between religions or whatever. Fair shares for all.

MANN: In 1990, Lee stepped down as prime minister, but didn't bow out of politics completely. He took the post of senior minister in the cabinet

of his immediate successor Goh Chok Tong, and was given the specially created title of minister mentor in the administration of the current prime

minister, his son Lee Hsien Loong.

He will be remembered as the father of modern Singapore, a titan of modern Asia, a man who made his island a thriving modern state.

Jonathan Mann, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now Lee's body will lie in state at the country's parliament house from Wednesday. And plans are already in motion for a

state funeral to be held over the weekend.

And for the latest details, Anna Coren joins me now live. And Anna, how is Singapore mourning the death of its founding father?

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, as we saw from the pictures a little bit earlier, you could see local Singaporeans

laying flowers at Parliament House, really playing tribute to the man who is considered to be the founder of Singapore.

Tributes also from around the world. Barack Obama describing him as one of the giants of history. Vladimir Putin the Russian president, I

should say, describing him as loved and respected not just by the people in his country, but from world leaders.

And then Christine LaGarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund describing him as a visionary statesman.

So, really these tributes are flowing in from all over the world, because Lee Kuan Yew is considered this man who took a third world country,

made it a first world country to then be one of the most prosperous nations in the world, a country of 5.6 million people. So it really is quite

extraordinary.

As you say, his body will lie in state at Parliament House. On Wednesday it will be made open to the public. And then on Sunday, Kristie,

he will be given a state funeral before his body is cremated.

But obviously there are mixed feelings towards Lee Kuan Yew, many within, they love, they revere him, but they also fear him. He was

considered to run the country with an authoritarian rule and certainly clamp down on freedoms of the press, freedom of speech. And so -- as well

as dissent. So really, Kristie, there is no doubt that he made Singapore what it is today, an economic powerhouse, but it came at a price.

[08:05:58] LU STOUT: Yeah, an tributes coming in from inside Singapore and from world leaders marking the death of this statesman Lee

Kuan Yew. Anna Coren, many thanks indeed for that.

And tributes to Lee Kuan Yew have poured in from leaders around the world, as Anna was mentioned just then. His passing has been particularly

noted in China where the media is praising the, quote, "special relationship" between China and Singapore.

Now the Chinese President Xi Jinping sent condolences to Singapore calling Lee the founder, pioneer and promoter of China-Singapore relations.

Now earlier, I spoke to Victor Gao about China's relationship with Singapore. Now Gao worked as a translator to Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s.

That was when the Chinese leader launched sweeping reforms that began to open China up to the outside world.

And he told me that Singapore set the tone for those changes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VICTOR GAO, DIR. CHINA NATIONAL ASSOC. OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: The passing away of Lee Kuan Yew is truly momentous event. As far as China is

concerned, Lee Kuan Yew has been an inspiration for China's reform and opening to the outside world.

In 1978, the late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping visited Singapore and met with Lee Kuan Yew for the first time. And he was very much impressed

by what he saw in Singapore. And he told Lee Kuan Yew that if the Singaporeans could do this transformation, China indeed would like to do

the same on a larger scale.

And ever since then, Lee Kuan Yew had kept very close contacts with the Chinese leaders, a successful (ph) generations of the Chinese leaders.

And all the Chinese leaders admired the achievement in Singapore and a great contribution of Lee Kuan Yew.

The present Chinese president has emphasized on many occasions that even today China can learn a lot from Singapore in terms of governance and

management and a modernization, etc.

So I would say that Lee Kuan Yew truly has been an inspiration for the Chinese nation in our reform and opening to the outside world.

LU STOUT: It is well known that every year large groups of Chinese Communist officials travel to Singapore for these study tours. Why is the

Singapore model so appealing to China?

GAO: Well, I would say the rest of the world actually can learn a lot from the Singapore model.

First of all, ever since it achieved independence in 1965, Singapore has maintained stability and has kept good relationship with as many

countries as possible. And also economic development has been steady and Singapore has managed to go through several crises relatively unscathed.

And the country has maintained a very clean civil service.

And I would say from the Chinese perspective there is a lot that we can learn in terms, as I mentioned, in terms of governance, management,

modernization, industrialization and also maintaining peace and stability and social order in the country.

Therefore, China has been sending groups after groups of civil servants and party officials and SOE officials to be trained in Singapore.

LU STOUT: Did Lee Kuan Yew identify the rise of China before any other world leader?

GAO: I would say he did. Let me give you one example. Lee Kuan Yew was inspirational in the sense that he urged all the Singaporeans not only

to learn English as the working language for the nation, but also as far as possible to learn Chinese.

And you know in Chinese language, there are many, many dialects, but for many, many years ago Lee Kuan Yew decided that the language that they

need to learn is the standard Mandarin language, which is the standard spoken language in China today.

I think this helped the Singaporeans a great deal in bridging the gap between Singapore and Mainland China in particular, and enhanced

communication and exchanges with each other. And this is one reason why I think learning from Singapore in a very pragmatic manner serves China also

very, very effectively.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[08:10:12] LU STOUT: And that was Victor Gao, former translator to Deng Xiaoping. And he went on to tell me that in more than 20 meetings

with foreign leaders, the former Chinese leader would often talk about the Singapore model as his guiding force for reform.

Now the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is in Washington. And a CNN exclusive new video shows ISIS recruiters inside Afghanistan. That

exclusive report coming up.

And it's been a year since the West African Ebola outbreak. We'll have the latest on the crisis.

Also ahead, an app prompting anonymous discussion celebrates and incredible first year. We speak with the founders of Yik Yak about their

fans and their critics.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is at the Pentagon right now to meet with the U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter. Let's bring up some live

video of Mr. Ghani there in Washington.

Now this is his first visit to the U.S. as president. You see him there addressing the Pentagon at the podium.

Now he'll be meeting top U.S. officials. And on Tuesday, he'll be sitting down with the U.S. President Barack Obama.

Now, at the top of their agenda, U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan and the threat ISIS poses.

Now the threat is clearly evident in exclusive CNN video of ISIS recruiting in Afghanistan.

Now for more, senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh joins me now live from Kabul. And Nick, tell us more about this exclusive

video showing ISIS recruiting inside Afghanistan.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They're recruiting in Afghanistan to assist in their fight in Syria.

Now that is of course not the same as them having necessarily a base here, but it certainly leaves many officials troubled that they have a

foothold here, tentacles of some description, at a pivotal time in the Afghan conflict where one senior U.S. official I spoke to expressed

concerns that potentially disgruntled Taliban who see the option of peace talks maybe ahead is not radical enough for them could be drawn towards

ISIS's ideology.

Here is one scene in which an ISIS recruiter tries to gain some Afghans to go and fight with them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Where there has long been faith and war in Afghanistan serene hills, a new

and modern plague has now come. You're seeing rare picture filmed by our cameraman of what we are told is an ISIS recruitment session in

Afghanistan.

Brothers, I'm here to tell you, the recruiter says, about the mujahideen in Syria.

After a decade of war, the Taliban is strong but fractured and the U.S. is leaving. The U.N. warns ISIS is getting a foothold in Afghanistan

and this may be how. This Afghan says he's come back from fighting in northern Syria and is one of five recruiters. His pitch is simple. Come

fight true jihad for ISIS says Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi for a $500 wage. Some listeners are driven.

"My aim is to fight infidels," one says, "in Syria or if they ask me to in Afghanistan, I will."

Others aren't sure and just poor.

"I definitely need the money but will stay here and hope peace come," one acts.

There is a bit of theater here. ISIS application forms for them to complete on camera. But also a clear message to angry young afghan s

disillusioned with Taliban wars. There is now an even now a more ruthless choice you can make ISIS.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[08:15:01] WALSH: Now, Nicholas Haysom, the UN's top envoy to Afghanistan, did express fears not so much about the capabilities of ISIS

here. Most accept they're in small numbers, certainly, when compared to the Taliban, but that those militants who may have fought for the Taliban

for a long period of time, disgruntled, perhaps as I say not too keen on the idea of peace talks ahead, well they may find, quote, a flagpole in

ISIS and its ideology.

And this comes at a pivotal time here in Afghanistan. The U.S. reducing its numbers quite fast, but also at the same time rethinking

particularly now in Washington whether that is necessarily a good idea. And I understand we may see some sort of announcement in the days ahead

reflecting increased worries about the volatility here in Afghanistan, but also, too, is the withdrawal of NATO causes a huge economic problem here as

well. Many deeply concern of the potential for ISIS to latch on, again as we've seen before in this country's troubled history, to that sort of

vacuum and find a sanctuary here, Kristie.

LU STOUT: And that new video from ISIS disturbing proof that it's trying to broaden its reach inside Afghanistan. Nick Paton Walsh reporting

live from Kabul for us. Thank you, Nick.

Now, a United Nations envoy says Yemen appears to be on the brink of civil war. Now, rebel Houthis took over the airport and several key

buildings in the country's third largest city including the airport.

Now locals took to the streets to protest the takeover. At least one person was shot and killed by the rebels, dozens were wounded.

Reuters reports that Tunisia's prime minister has fired six police commanders following last week's attack on the national museum in Tunis.

Now meanwhile, the search is on for a third suspect in that attack. 23 people were killed, almost all of them foreign tourists. At least nine

people have been arrested in connection with the attack. And Tunisia's president says the Bardo museum will reopen on Tuesday.

Now there are concerns that terror groups like al Qaeda and ISIS could use the chaos in countries like Yemen and Tunisia to mount more attacks and

to spread further their reach.

Now for more, our chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour joins me now from CNN London. And at first Christiane, what could

the Tunisian president tell you new information about last week's Bardo museum attack.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, as you just said there have been some police commanders fired, but he spoke

very highly of the police action inside the museum. And he basically said, as you've said, that there's another one on the run. So a third suspect on

the run. That they have, he said, arrested 15 people. So that's up from nine. There are 15 people under arrest.

And he also says that the two who were killed were wearing suicide vests. Listen to what he told me about what could have been an even worse

disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEJI CAID ESSEBSI, TUNISIA PRESIDENT (through translator): They had them, but they didn't work, because the police turned up and they were shot

down. And they didn't have the time to get these vests to work, because had they done so, then we would have had a major catastrophe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: So you can imagine if indeed that had happened and the suicide vests had exploded it could have been a lot, lot bigger of a death

toll.

He says that there has to be a very, very hard clamp down on the security aspect, but when we asked him, well, is that going to compromise

your democracy and human rights, he insisted that they would not sacrifice that.

And he did end by saying, you know, I just want to tell the world that this is still a safe place for tourists and that Tunisia is standing on its

feet not on its knees, and vowed a very tough clamp down.

But he said, you know, it is the chaos in Libya that has caused this to an extent. He said those terrorists who were shot and those who have

been arrested, at least those who were shot, he said, were trained in Libya -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: Now, there's a fine line to tow here between boosting security without Tunisian turning into an all-out security state. So how

does a president plan to in the aftermath of the Bardo museum attack provide greater security and to avoid another massacre from taking place,

especially one that targets tourists?

AMANPOUR: Well, very carefully, because you're right. In this post- ISIS world some of these countries have resorted to security first and democracy last. But he was obviously very concerned about this, because

Tunisia is the Arab Spring's success story, or at least is meant to be. It's had several democratic elections. They've had transfer of power

peacefully. They have the Ennadha moderate Muslim Party, which has accepted this leadership currently, which is a secular president there in

Tunisia, has a minister there.

And -- but he was very, very clear. He said, you know, they try to attack our politics -- in other words, the parliament, and our culture, the

museum. And we're not going to give in to it.

So they want to double down on security, but make sure that the politics continues, as it has been continuing. But also, he said, they

must do better economically, because you know even while not all of these suspects and those were killed necessarily from poor backgrounds, those are

the places where recruiting these people are the easiest.

And remember that Tunisia sends the most foreign fighters to the wars in Iraq and Syria than any other country.

[08:20:19] LU STOUT: All right, Christiane Amanpour there on the security and the economic viability of Tunisia in the wake of last week's

horrific attacks.

Christiane, thank you.

And you can watch the rest of her interview with Tunisia's president. It's coming up on Amanpour. It starts 7:00 p.m. in London, 8:00 p.m. in

Berlin and Tunis, only on CNN.

Now you're watching News Stream. And still to come, a possible Greek exit from the EuroZone deepens as Athens is running out of money. Will its

creditors run out of patience?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching News Stream.

Now it has been a year since the West African Ebola outbreak was first confirmed. Now this time the virus has killed more than 10,000 people.

As you can see from this graph, the crisis seems to be heading toward containment. Now the number of new cases, shown by the colored lines

there, has dropped since December.

However, governments are not ready to declare the crisis over. Sierra Leone's President is calling for a zero Ebola campaign. The goal here is

to reach zero infections in 60 days.

Now in four hours from now, the leaders of Greece and Germany are to sit down in Berlin to talk money.

Now relations between the two countries have chilled since the new Athens government demanded a rollback of its debt commitment.

Now with financial deadlines looming, Jim Boulden gauges the mood on the street.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Patience with Greece is running out. And Greece is running out of money.

A Grexit is back on the agenda, the possibility that Greece could be forced out of the EuroZon.

On the streets of Athens, many people say Germany is behind the tough line Europe is taking in its negotiations with Greece and that it's getting

personal.

UNIDENTIIFED FEMALE: We don't like the way the (inaudible) are talk about us, about the Greek. They are rough.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I remember quite a few years ago the crisis turned into name-calling from the -- you know, between Greece and Germany. I'm

sure that's not helpful at all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have our own myths and Germany has their own myths about the Greeks. So apparently they believe that we are kind of

lazy and spending money and drinking booze all day, which is far from true.

BOULDEN: But it's not just Germany. No country in the EuroZone is vocally supporting Greece anymore. As last week's leaders meeting made

clear, nothing has changed, they tell Greece. It must adopt economic reforms to get more money.

But trust is eroding.

ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): The situation obviously is one where trust is needed urgently. And also it is needed to

concentrate and to focus one's mind.

BOULDEN: Greece already defied Brussels by passing some legislation to ease austerity without consulting the European Union. It's not helped

that some in Greece are calling for Germany to pay reparations for the Second World War.

In a blog post Friday, Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said it was time to end what he calls the toxic blame game and get back to what is in

Europe's mutual interest: finding a way for Greece to grow and reform rapidly.

And by the way Germans are still very much welcome in Greece.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: German people, they come often, especially the islands. The political game is out of the vacation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Germans, when they come here everything is fine.

BOULDEN: But everything is not fine in relations between Greece's new government and the EuroZone. And time is running out.

Jim Boulden, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now Iran and the major world powers are due to return to the negotiating table this week. They have just over a week left to hammer

out the framework agreement on Tehran's nuclear program. Now over the weekend, the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani expressed hopes for a deal, but he said that hurdles do remain.

Now some Iranians want sanctions lifted as soon as a deal is reached, but the U.S. and its allies think Tehran needs to wait until it can

demonstrate it is, indeed, upholding the agreement.

Now condolences are pouring in from world leaders as Singapore mourns the loss of its founding father. But the revered Asian leader was not

without his critics. We take a look at the legacy of Lee Kuan Lew after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:46] LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching News Stream. And these are your world headlines.

Now Singapore's founding father has died at the age of 91. Lee Kuan Yew was the city-state's first prime minister and was widely credited for

transforming it into a global economic powerhouse during his three decades in power. A state funeral is set for next Sunday.

A UN envoy to Yemen says the country is on the edge of civil war. It comes after Houthi rebels took over the airport and several key buildings

in Ta'izz, the country's third largest city. Now locals took to the streets to protest. At least one person was shot and killed by the rebels,

dozens were wounded.

A Turkish lawmaker says 11 foreign medical students may have gone to work in hospitals in ISSI controlled territory in Syria. He says seven

were from Britain, two from Sudan and one each from the U.S. and Canada. In an interview with a Turkish newspaper, the parents pleaded for the

students to return home.

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas is the first Republican to officially announce a run for the White House in 2016. Now the 44-year-old is a

favorite of the Tea Party movement who has been fiercely critical of President Barack Obama and his health care reform law. Cruz will speak at

a conservative Christian university in Virginia later today.

Now let's return to our top story, the passing of Lee Kuan Yew. Now Singapore went through a remarkable transformation during his lifetime.

Just take a look at this photo of downtown Singapore in the 1940s. Now for more than a century, the city was little more than a British trading post.

Now the building on the right here is now the Fullerton Hotel surrounded by skyscrapers in the bustling financial district. And now

Singapore boasts a higher GDP per capita than that of its colonizer: Great Britain.

And while Lee Kuan Yew is credited with being the main driving force behind Singapore's remarkable success story, the late prime minister was

also a divisive figure. He drew criticism for stifling press freedom and for his harsh treatment of political opponents.

I had a chance to look at Lee's legacy up close when I was in Singapore earlier this month.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: A sparkling skyline and world famous harbor: Sinagpore declared independence from Malaysia just 50 years ago, and since then has

been transformed from a sleepy port into one of the world's wealthiest nations. All this credited largely to the visionary Lee Kuan Yew, the

founding father of Singapore and its prime minister for more than three decades.

And this is the legacy he leaves behind: shaping an Island nation into what he called a first world oasis in a third world situation. Sleek,

modern and advanced with world class education and transport systems so sparkling clean even chewing gum is banned, Singapore is often ranked as

one of the world's best cities to live in.

Lee Kuan Yew's sky high ambitions for Singapore were never tempered by its size. His pro-business and low tax policies encouraged foreign

investment to thrive. And his zero tolerance to corruption created trust in a region where business and bribery often go hand-in-hand.

Today, the city of 5 million people punches far above its weight on the world's economic stage with one of the top growth per capita rates

worldwide, and ranked by the World Bank as the number one country to do business in.

Lee Kuan Yew's critics say Singapore's stability has come at a cost, accusing the former leader of building an authoritarian state with little

patience for dissent and allowing cronyism to mar the city's meritocratic principles.

But Lee Kuan Yew always defended his approach, saying he just did what he had to do to maintain social order and protect the prosperity of

Singapore.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now CNN's Fareed Zakaria also spoke to Lee Kuan Yew on several occasions. And here is how he remembers the political giant.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FAREED ZAKARIA, HOST, GPS: Like any great visionary, he was very willing to recognize that things needed to change. Now he might not admit

that to you, he was not a man known to admit to his mistakes, but if you look at the trajectory of his actions what you see is many twists and turns

until he gets to the place where he feels relatively stable.

[08:35:00] YEW: I'm a social Darwinist.

ZAKARIA: Survival of the fittest.

YEW: No. The survival requires you to change. If you don't change, then you're marginalized and you will become extinct.

ZAKARIA: Lee Kuan Yew was unlike any politician I've ever met. There was no real attempt to charm you. The kind of stuff politicians always do

with journalists to establish a mood and a relationship -- he would get straight to the point.

So, I'd say I had a very deep relationship with Lee Kuan Yew. But I don't think it ever got personal.

I did see one different side to him, which is occasionally I was at dinner with him and his wife. And he was a different man with her.

And I think after she died he was a different man. He was somewhat broken.

His son, who is prime minister today, is a much more relaxed and open version of his father. I think everyone recognized that there was only so

much you could change in a country while the founder of the country was alive. And so I do believe that while this marks an important moment to

remember and honor Lee Kuan Yew, it also marks probably a turning point, a moment where Singapore will more on to chapter two in a really

extraordinary story.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Riveting profile of Lee, his family and of course Singapore.

That was Fareed Zakaria sharing his memories of Lee Kuan Yew.

Now we want to bring you an update now in the case of Ashia King (ph). This is the 5-year-old boy whose parents were briefly arrested last year

for pulling out of hospital to pursue alternative treatment for his brain cancer.

Now the child now appears to be cancer free. The family spokesman says the boy had proton beam therapy in the Czech Republic and he's been

clear of cancer for months.

The British family is at their vacation home in Spain now. And they say that they are afraid to return to the UK fearing they face arrest.

You're watching News Stream. And still to come, the anonymous messaging app that's gaining popularity across college campuses in the U.S.

We'll meet the founders of Yik Yak next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Now, it has been compared to Facebook. Yik Yak has taken American college campuses by storm.

Now the app, it lets people create anonymous posts and share them with other users, mostly in the same school. Now a lot of these messages are

just random harmless musings about day-to-day life, but sometimes they can turn into online abuse.

Now Laurie Segall talked to the founders of Yik Yak.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAURIE SEGALL, CNN CORREPSONDENT: These are yaks.

TYLER DROLL, CO-FOUNDER YIK YAK: If you have like a funny thought, or you have a relevant piece of news you want to share with your local

community, that's what you can get.

SEGALL: 24-year-old Tyler Droll and Brooks Buffington are the founders of Yik Yak, it's an app that's now reportedly valued at $400

million.

The app, whose name was inspired by the classic 50s song, let's you send anonymous messages and rechatter within a 1.5 mile radius.

Users vote up comments they like and vote down ones they don't.

Brooks and Tyler first worked on the app when they were in college.

[08:40:06] BROOKS BUFFINGTON, CO-FOUNDER, YIK YAK: We saw a problem on our campus where there's a select few like Twitter accounts, which kind

of held the campus voice. We said, you know, everyone should be able to have this power. And so we kind of democratized it, gave it to everyone,

and allowed the whole campus to connect.

SEGALL: Fast forward a year later, the app is exploding on college campuses across the country.

DROLL: Basically every campus in America.

BUFFINGTON: At Vanderbilt University, someone, you know, posted something about his brother is getting a full body blood transfusion and

puts it on Yik Yak. 700 people showed up in the first hour to see if they were a match for this guy's brother.

SEGALL: That's the upside of what could be accomplished with an anonymous discussion forum like Yik Yak. The downside, anonymity can lead

to bullying, or harassment.

No user name? No accountability.

How do you guys try to help with the cyber bullying problem?

BUFFINGTON: We have filters looking for names, looking for personal information, you know just generally offensive things.

DROLL: Early on, made a set of rules about no targeting people, no bullying. And we took the kind of daring step to enforce them and enforce

them strongly. We wanted good growth, not growth at all costs.

SEGALL: Yik Yak still had growing pains. One professor complained after discovering demeaning Yaks during her lectures. Other students have

sited online harassment. Just this month, a university official sent a letter to the company seeking identities of people inciting danger.

For the people that kind of are bullied on it or had been bullied, what is your responsibility or kind of legal responsibility?

BUFFINGTON: Yeah, I mean there's federal laws in place that prevent, you know, sharing of private user information. So that we're kind of

limited in what we can do there, but in cases of like imminent threat or harm or something like that we work with law enforcement to, you know, do

what we can.

SEGALL: The founders say they focus on expanding beyond the college audience and to people who are looking for a Facebook alternative.

DROLL: I think like Facebook and some other apps where you have to keep up with this profile is very heavy. And Yik Yak is very lightweight

you can just talk. It's like real life.

SEGALL: Laurie Segall, CNN Money, Austin, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. But don't go anywhere. World Sport with Patrick Snell is next.

END