Truth Social

Truth Social is a social media platform and app for iOS and Android, developed by (TMTG, d.b.a. T Media Tech LLC).
==Background==
In January 2021, U.S. president Donald Trump was banned from Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube after being associated with the . In October 2021, former president Trump responded by announcing that he would launch his own social media platform.Donald Trump announces new social media platform, Truth Social, after being banned from major apps by Jeanine Santucci, USA Today. 2021-10-21.Here’s how a hacker was able to blow up Trump’s new free speech site by Mikael Thalen, The Daily Dot. 2021-10-21. Trump hired former congressman to be the CEO.Truth Social Users "Losing Interest" in Trump's Social Media App by Adam Staten, Newsweek. 2022-02-28.
==Development==
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Version 0.0.1 of the software was ed internally for beta testing on October 17, 2021.Truth Social, AppAdvice. 2022-01-18. Accessed 2022-03-17. Within days, hackers gained access to the site, creating impersonation accounts for Trump and that were then taken down. Truth Social initially claimed that its software was proprietary, and was soon threatened with a lawsuit by , which discovered that its open source software was actually being used in violation of its v3 license.Mastodon Threatens to Sue Trump's Social Media Site for Violating Open-Source License by Michael Kan, PC Magazine. 2021-10-29. On November 12, 2021, Truth Social posted its source code to comply with the terms of the license and avoid the lawsuit.Trump's social media site quietly admits it's based on Mastodon by Michael Kan, PC Magazine. 2021-12-02. It is hosted by , an internet service provider that has been featured in conservative media.Just what is RightForge, the company hosting Trump's TRUTH Social? by Rex Crum, Seeking Alpha. 2021-10-26.
==Release==
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On February 21, 2022, Truth Social debuted on iOS through Apple's App Store. The platform advertised itself as a "Big Tent" for open and free conversation, briefly reaching the top of Apple's most downloaded apps. However, it was beset by technical problems and accusations of censorship, leading to a loss of interest and criticism that it was not yet available on other platforms besides iOS. Truth Social's availability on Apple devices was criticized for being on "the most communist deep state platform".Truth Social already censoring content, bans user who made fun of Trump Media CEO by Matt Binder, Mashable. 2022-02-22.Donald Trump's TruthSocial App Falls To 72 In Rankings Days After Losing No 1 Spot by Rohit Ranjan, Republic World. 2022-03-06.Here’s a Long List of What Went Wrong When Trump's Truth Social App Launched on the App Store by Jody Serrano, Gizmodo. 2022-02-21. Due to Truth Social's capacity limitations, users reported being stuck on waitlists and being unable to use the site after its launch.Signing up for Trump's 'Truth Social' will currently put you on a waitlist by Douglas Jones, ABC Denver7. 2022-03-08. On August 19, 2022, Google notified Truth Social that the Android version of the app would not become available through the store until shortcomings in moderating its user-generated content were addressed.Trump’s Truth Social reportedly barred from Google Play store over content moderation concerns by Jack Stebbins, CNBC. 2022-08-30. Truth Social was finally released on the Google Play store on October 13, 2022.Truth Social debuts in the Google Play Store, by Taylor Hatmaker, 2022-10-13
===Reception===
By March 12, 2022, Truth Social had dropped to 173rd place among downloaded apps.Truth Social: the failing anti-Twitter platform even Trump barely uses by Adam Gabbatt, The Guardian. 2022-03-16. The average user visit in March was about 90 seconds.Donald Trump Can’t Stop Whining About His Failing Social Media App by Adam Rawnsley, The Daily Beast. 2022-03-05. By April 2022, Truth Social's technology, legal, and product development chiefs Josh Adams, Lori Heyer-Bednar, and Billy Boozer reportedly left the company.Two key tech execs quit Truth Social after troubled app launch by Helen Coster and Julia Love, Reuters. 2022-04-04.Trump upset with the state of his new social media site, eyes shakeup by Meredith McGraw and Emily Birnbaum, Politico. 2022-04-04. In a review conducted by , Truth Social was described as "a conservative ghost town that had been overrun by s".I spent a week on Trump's new social media app Truth Social. I felt like I was exploring a ghost town. by Rosie Bradbury, Business Insider. 2022-04-02. Though by summer 2022, Truth Social attracted dozens of accounts associated with supporters that had been banned from other social media platforms.QAnon-Focused Accounts Banned on Twitter Now Flourish — and Get a Boost from Trump — on Truth Social by Aaron Parsley, People. 2022-08-29.
When Twitter, under new ownership by , reinstated Trump's account and invited him to return, Trump responded by stating that he had no interest in returning to Twitter and would stay at Truth Social.Trump snubs Twitter after Musk announces reactivation of ex-president's account by Sheila Dang and Helen Coster, Reuters. 2022-11-20.
==Future==
Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) had been planning for a merger with Digital World Acquisition, a formed to merge with an existing company, which can raise funds for shareholders by taking a private company public without the typical process. However, the acquisition was postponed while Truth Social's business dealings underwent investigation by the .Stiffed vendors, huge financial losses, and a trademark denial: Truth Social faces an uncertain future amid concerns over Trump's dwindling popularity and continued controversies by Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert, Business Insider. 2022-08-27. The company's filing for the name "Truth Social" was also denied by the .Trump's Truth Social has trademark application denied as setbacks pile up by Emily Peck and Sara Fischer, Axios. 2022-08-25. According to , the social media platform's finances were in question as RightForge threatened legal action, claiming that Truth Social had failed to make payments on a $1.6 million contract for its internet services.Trump's social media app facing financial fallout by Charlie Gasparino and Eleanor Terrett, Fox Business. 2022-08-25. In August 2022, Digital World Acquisition's stock fell by over 70% after reporting losses of over $6 million in the first half of the year.Company Behind Trump's Truth Social Lost $6.5M, Stock Plunged 72 Percent by Andrew Stanton, Newsweek. 2022-08-27. However, interest in Truth Social had increased that month due to the (Trump's estate in Florida), causing it to jump from 60th to 37th place among most popular social microblogging apps.New Users Have Flocked to Trump's Truth Social in the Aftermath of FBI Raids by Lauren Leffer, Gizmodo. 2022-08-19.
==System requirements==
*iOS 13.0 or later
==References==
==See also==
*Parler, an earlier social media platform also used by supporters of Trump.
==External links==
*Truth Social official website
**What's Open Source? (downloads of source code)
*Truth Social at the Apple App Store
*Truth Social at Google Play
* at Wikipedia
Category:iOS apps
Category:2022 introductions