Reasons behind the ban
Google Play is more than Google’s download site. It is a space with specific rules that must be followed by users, but also by developers. This has not been the case of Truth Social, whose concern with freedom of expression – a low term with which it has been described since its inception – has been counterproductive to its interests.
“We notified Truth Social of several standard policy violations,” a Google spokesperson reported. BBC . “Having effective systems to moderate user-generated content is a condition of our terms of service for any app to be activated on Google Play,” they added.
This is already a problem in any social network that must continually implement all kinds of filters to seek the healthy coexistence of users. It is even more so for one that, according to countless reports, promotes intolerance and hate speech. Even more serious is that many of the accounts that do it the most are verified.
An example of this crisis occurred just a few weeks ago when a user named Rick Shiffer posted a “call to arms” in Truth Social while inviting to be “ready for combat”. His name coincides with the subject who was killed by authorities on August 12 when he tried to force his way into an FBI facility located in Cincinnati.
Specialists agree that, although these situations can be seen in all networks, tensions increase to unsuspected levels when moderation takes second place when it really should be a priority in all senses. Ironically, the platform does have content restrictions, but at the moment it does not have the ability to track posts to verify that the rules are being followed. All this has promoted an idea conceived since the project was announced: that the space devised by Donald Trump was not intended for the community as most of these platforms have been, but rather it is an exclusive site for extremists who yearn to recover the power for the former president at any cost.
Problems for Truth Social
Ever since Truth Social was announced, there was speculation that it would have a lot of trouble breaking through. This is because, unlike the main networks, which are aimed at the general public and enjoy organic internal segmentation – let’s say, groups on Facebook or hashtags on Twitter and Instagram – Donald Trump’s has always aimed at a very niche. specific and without considering midpoints. A double-edged sword that could lead to success or failure. Even so, he bet on it due to the popularity of the former president and trusting in the support of the main download channels.
For this reason, its absence on Google Play is a major obstacle. It is the largest download site for Android users and as an example of the impact it is enough to refer to the escalation in its numbers, which from 55 million global downloads in 2016 has gone to 111.3 in 2021, a number that promises to continue to increase for 2022.
To make matters worse, this has caused all eyes to be on Apple, which last February approved the application in the midst of enormous controversy. It came to position itself as the most downloaded, which has not prevented many from insisting that it should be eradicated as it is a promotional space for intolerance. The world awaits the next move from the apple.
These downloads are decisive for Truth Social to be able to cover all its debts, among which the 1.6 million dollars with the internet infrastructure company RightForge stand out. Although it is said to be committed to the ideals of Donald Trump, the lack of payment could take away from the platform the hosting space necessary to operate. This, in turn, directly affects Donald Trump’s intentions to return to the presidency of the United States, remembering that much of his success was due to his continuous presence on social networks.
It is early to say whether Donald Trump’s network will disappear, but things are not looking good for the platform. Perhaps the only truth that this virtual space leaves us is that the world does not need a site whose foundations seem to be based entirely on hatred and violence.