Former US President Donald Trump's Truth Social app has been approved by Google to be available for download in its Play Store on Android devices, the tech giant announced on Wednesday.
The app was kept away from Google's store due to a lack in the former of moderation tools, including for violent threats. Now, as per Google, Truth Social has been updated to comply with its policies prohibiting objectionable posts, and has also been given effective systems for reporting and removing unwanted content as well as blocking abusers.
“Apps may be distributed on Google Play provided they comply with our developer guidelines, including the requirement to effectively moderate user-generated content and remove objectionable posts such as those that incite violence,” a spokesperson of the Mountain View, California-headquartered company said.
Meanwhile, speaking on the development, the former President's Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG) said, “It's been a pleasure to work with Google, and we're glad they helped us to finally bring Truth Social to all Americans, regardless of what device they use.”
What is Truth Social?
{{/usCountry}}What is Truth Social?
{{/usCountry}}The service was announced by Trump in October 2021 in response to his permanent suspension from Twitter in January over his ‘inciting tweets’ after the riots at the US Capitol. Launched in February 2022, Truth Social is available only in the US, and is described by its website as 'America's "Big Tent" social media platform that encourages an open, free, and honest global conversation without discriminating against political ideology.'
The Republican has as many as 4.18 million followers on his own social media website. In comparison, he had 88.8 million followers on Twitter and 35.4 million on Facebook. In June last year, the 76-year-old was suspended from Facebook and Facebook-owned Instagram for at least 2 years, effective January 7 the same year, due to remarks on Capitol violence.
(With inputs from AFP)