Google will not host Donald Trump’s Truth Social on Play Store, here’s why

#Android #Apple #DonaldTrump

Google said that it denied hosting Truth Social on the PLay Store because of violent content
Google has asked Truth Social to scrub all user generated calls for violence and reapply
Truth Social claimed that it had no idea why it had not been approved for the Play Store

Written By:Rwit

Updated: August 31 2022 11:02:30 PM ET Washington D.C., DC, USA

Google on Tuesday, August 30, 2022 has said that it will not host Truth Social, the social media platform started by former US President Donald Trump, unless it has scrubbed any content that calls for violence, according to a report from the New York Times.

Currently, Truth social has been restricted to Apple’s App Store for the time being but currently ranks at #25 as of August 29, 2022.

The search engine behemoth’s statement comes after the Trump-backed social media platform claimed that it had no idea why its app had not been approved for the Google Play Store.

The social media platform had created a build for Android devices and gave it to Google for review this year. Upon review, the search engine behemoth found that user-generated content included physical threats, going against Google’s content policies. Truth Social was asked to remove such content and resubmit the app for review.

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“On Aug. 19 we notified Truth Social of several violations of standard policies in their current app submission and reiterated that having effective systems for moderating user-generated content is a condition of our terms of service for any app to go live on Google Play,” a Google spokesperson told the New York Times.

Since the January 6, 2021 attacks, Google has stepped up its efforts with regards to content moderation decisions based on whether posts can lead to real-world violence. Mentioned above is part of the reason why YouTube suspended Trump from the platform.

The social media app launched in February this year and quickly became one of the most downloaded downloads on the App Store. Despite its popularity, Truth Social has been having issues finding users as well as scalability, which in turn is hampering growth. Additionally, the company has stalled payments to RightForge, the company hosting its services, and owes them $1.6 million.

Truth Social’s parent company, Trump Media and Technology Group revealed in a regulatory filing that they had managed to raise an additional $15 million which it hopes will help pay its bill until April next year.