Key Points
- Google has approved former US President Donald Trump's social media app Truth Social to appear in its Play Store.
- There have previously been concerns about insufficient moderation and content violating the Play Store's policies.
Alphabet Inc's Google has approved former US President Donald Trump's social media app Truth Social for distribution in the Google Play Store.
Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), which operates Truth Social, is expected to make the app available in the Google Play Store shortly, Google said on Wednesday.
But what is Truth Social all about, and why has Google been concerned about it in the past?
What is Truth Social?
Following the , 2021, Mr Trump was accused of inciting violence and was banned from Twitter Inc, Facebook and Alphabet Inc's YouTube.
In October that year, Mr Trump marked his return to social media by founding the new platform Truth Social as an alternative to "big tech".
The platform describes itself as America's "Big Tent" social media platform, and says it encourages an "open, free, and honest global conversation without discriminating against political ideology."
TMTG has pledged to deliver an "engaging and censorship-free experience" on Truth Social, appealing to a base that feels its views around such hot-button topics such as the outcome of the 2020 presidential election have been scrubbed from mainstream tech platforms.
Truth Social has been accused of censorship of some topics including the Capitol riots hearings, with users reporting their accounts were suspended after posting videos or comments on the topic.
Truth Social is currently available for US users only.
Why was Google concerned about the app, and what has changed now?
Truth Social, which launched in the United States in the Apple App Store in February 2022, had not previously been available in the Google Play Store due to insufficient content moderation, according to a Google spokesman in August.
Google said Truth Social had since been updated to comply with its policies barring objectionable posts, and had built-in 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 Google spokesperson said in response to an AFP inquiry.
Without the Google and Apple stores, there is no easy way for most smartphone users to download Truth Social.
Developers can make Android apps available elsewhere on the internet, but the Play Store is the main source of content for users of Android phones.
Android phones comprise about 40 per cent of the US smartphone market.
-Additional reporting by AFP
