Donald Trump's social network, "Truth Social," hasn't yet been released, but it's already subject to criticism. However, for the future platform's teams, the policies of application stores operated by the likes of Apple and Google are causing fears of an impending flop.
Could "Truth Social" suffer the same fate as the social network Parler? A few weeks before the launch of Donald Trump's platform where, he says, speech will be free and unbridled, the rules of the Apple and Google application stores seem to be making the former US president fear the worst. One year after his eviction from the Twitter, Facebook and YouTube sites, the yet-to-launch "Truth Social" platform could find itself getting kicked off mainstream app stores.
According to its makers, the social network promises to offer an authentic censorship-free experience, in contrast to other technology platforms accused of having stifled free speech on certain topics such as vaccines or the 2020 US presidential election. This kind of network is often the refuge of conspiracy theorists, and above all a catalyst for hate with very limited points of view. And this is the crux of the problem for the teams at Trump Media & Technology Group.
Without access to app stores, the social network could fall flat
In January 2021, after the Capitol Hill riots, the Parler application, used by a section of the American far-right community, was removed from Apple's app store in less than 24 hours. At the time, the American manufacturer said that it accepted different points of view, but that there was "no place on our platform for threats of violence and illegal activity." The application returned four months later, hiding the problematic content on iOS. Without access to major app stores, it's hard to see how the network could be more than just a hangout for marginal individuals or scammers.
To avoid suffering the same fate as Parler, Donald Trump's group is working with the American company Hive, which specializes in content moderation through artificial intelligence algorithms. While the former US president claims that the social network will be like no other, it could end up strongly resembling them in terms of censorship.
Originally slated for release on February 21, 2022, the application has reportedly been delayed again and may not be available to download before the end of March. This latest setback comes after a previous issue in November, when the team seemingly failed to launch its beta service to test the platform.
