Google has made Truth Social, a social media app created by former US President Donald Trump, available on its own app store called the Play Store, meaning that about 40% of American smartphone users can now download the app directly from the Play Store.
Truth Social, which was previously available through rival stores and websites when Google banned it from the Play Store, will now be available to download to Android smartphones via the Play Store after the company decided to introduce stricter content moderation policies.
Google had previously stated that Truth Social should not appear in its App Store until policies against incitement and threats of violence were in place, and that social media apps in the Google Play Store must include an in-app reporting system for controversial content.
Google’s statement then read “On August 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.”
In return, Truth Social issued a press release stating that it had “continuously worked in good faith with Google to ensure that the Truth Social Android app complies with Google’s policies without compromising our promise to be a haven for free speech.”
Trump Media & Technology Group TMTG has now pledged to provide a “engaging and censorship-free experience” after Google’s approval.
The sources for this piece include an article in Reuters.