New Delhi: After Donald Trump was permanently banned from Twitter in 2021, the former United States (US) President decided to launch his own social network, named "Truth Social". The social media platform has been developed by Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), an American media and technology company that was founded by Trump in February 2021. American businessman and politician Devin Gerald Nunes serves as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of TTMG, also known as T Media Tech LLC.
In a statement issued by TMTG in October 2021, Trump said that he created Truth Social and TMTG to "stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech".
Truth Social was launched on February 21, 2022, on Presidents Day. The social media platform is available both as an app and website.
After making its debut on the US Apple App Store on February 21, Truth Social became the highest-ranking free app on Apple’s App Store, though it faced several glitches after the launch.
The social media platform will be "coming soon" to the Google Play Store and other countries.
The Truth Social app has already started banning people, media reports said.
Truth Social Is America's 'Big Tent'
Truth Social is America's "Big Tent" social media platform that encourages an open, free, and honest global conversation without discriminating against political ideology, the official website of Trump's social network said.
On the website of Apple's App Store, Truth Social's "Big Tent" approach has been described as "a giant outdoor event tent at your best friend's wedding".
By signing up on Truth Social, people can join the conversation, and share their opinion by posting a Truth, Re-Truth, photo, news story, or video link to communicate with their friends, customers, and the world, according to the Apple App Store.
Key Features Of Truth Social
Profile, Truth Feed, Search, and Notifications are the key features of Truth Social, according to the Apple App Store.
Profile
One can set up a profile, avatar, and background, and begin to track their personal connections through follower and following counts.
Truth Feed
The Truth Feed contains posts from all the people one follows.
Search
Users can follow people right from the search list or view their profile first before deciding.
Notifications
Users can stay engaged as they build a following.
Truth Social’s Privacy Practices
Truth Social's developer, T Media Tech LLC, indicated that the app's privacy practices may include collection of data about the user's browsing history, contact information, including their phone number, and other user content. Also, this information will be linked to the user's identity.
Truth Social may also store data such as identifiers, usage data, and diagnostics, but this information will not be linked to the user's identity.
However, these data include the user's email address, an article published by The Conversation said. This suggests that these data are personally identifiable.
Truth Social was available for Pre-Order in the Apple App Store in October 2021.
According to reports, a hacker previously gained access to the Truth Social website, causing others to join the service prematurely.
Companies Behind Truth Social
Two companies, namely TMTG, and Digital World Acquisition Corp. (DWAC) are behind Truth Social. DWAC is a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) founded by Miami banker Patrick Orlando. TMTG and DWAC have entered into a definitive merger agreement in order to make the former a publicly listed company, the official statement issued by TMTG said.
How To Install & Sign Up On Truth Social
A beta test for Truth Social was supposed to begin November 2021. However, invites only went out in February to about 500 people, news agency Reuters reported.
When a person signs up on Truth Social, he or she will be asked to provide an email address and phone number.
According to an article on Pocketnow, the response to the app has been tremendous. In order to use Truth Social on desktop, one does not need an app to access the social media platform. The person must visit Truth Social's official website, truthsocial.com, and enter their name and email address in a section labelled "Join the Waiting List!".
Once the person is successfully registered, he or she will get an email saying that the person has joined the waitlist. When a person's turn comes, he or she will be able to complete the process of signing up on Truth Social.
People using iPhones must download the Truth Social app from the Apple App Store. After opening the app, people can see an option which says 'Create Account'.
Then, the email address must be provided to begin the signup process. After this, the person will receive a confirmation email at his or her email address. Then, the person must tap 'confirm email address' to continue.
The person must also create a password and provide his or her mobile number to complete the signup process.
Truth Social app is currently not available on Android.
Why Did Trump Launch Truth Social?
Trump had nearly 90 million followers, before his Twitter account was taken down, according to an article published by American computer magazine PC Magazine. Also, Facebook has banned Trump until at least January 2023.
Trump decided to launch Truth Social after being permanently banned from Twitter. Truth Social was not intended as a replacement for mainstream services like Twitter or Facebook, the PC Magazine article said.
In the statement issued by TMTG, Trump said, "I created TRUTH Social and TMTG to stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech. We live in a world where the Taliban has a huge presence on Twitter, yet our favorite American President has been silenced. This is unacceptable. I am excited to send out my first TRUTH on TRUTH Social very soon."
Trump further said that TMTG was founded with a mission to give a voice to all. He added that he was excited to soon begin sharing his thoughts on Truth Social, and to fight back against Big Tech. "Everyone asks me why doesn't someone stand up to Big Tech? Well, we will be soon!", Trump stated.