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Truth Social's Google Play Store Holdup (axios.com) 158

Posted by msmash from the closer-look dept.
Google hasn't yet approved Truth Social's Android app for distribution via its Play Store because of insufficient content moderation, a Google spokesperson tells Axios. From the report: Truth Social CEO Devin Nunes last week claimed the decision about when the app would be available on Android "is up to Google," but Google insists that the ball is in Truth Social's court. What Nunes is saying: "I don't know what's taking them so long."

What Google is saying: "On Aug. 19, we notified Truth Social of several violations of standard policies in their current app submission and reiterated that having effective systems for moderating user-generated content is a condition of our terms of service for any app to go live on Google Play." "Last week Truth Social wrote back acknowledging our feedback and saying that they are working on addressing these issues." A source says that Google's concerns relate to content such as physical threats and incitements to violence.
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Truth Social's Google Play Store Holdup More

Truth Social's Google Play Store Holdup

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  • And as usual (Score:5, Insightful)

    by ArchieBunker ( 132337 ) on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @11:33AM (#62836407)

    Trump is stiffing on the hosting bill. https://www.foxbusiness.com/fe... [foxbusiness.com]

    • Re:And as usual (Score:4, Insightful)

      by UnknowingFool ( 672806 ) on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @11:42AM (#62836445)
      I am shocked to find out gambling was happening at this establishment. Shocked I tell you!

    • Re:And as usual (Score:5, Insightful)

      by jacks smirking reven ( 909048 ) on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @12:08PM (#62836567)

      It's really the most Trump thing ever.

      Like him or hate him the man is very wealthy, however much Truth Social costs to develop or hose he could easily cover out of pocket for years and years I imagine and not feel any damage to his portfolio. Even in the article it states a bill of $1.6m, nothing for a billionaire. Instead of just hosting it and making a ice little business that can pull in subscription money and be a big asset for his campaign he's turned into a scam filled web of financial back deals. The man just can't stop scamming at any point, it's almost an illness.

      Yes, the wealthy stay wealthy by using other peoples money but having this site is overall a plus for Trump. The fact that he is willing to endanger it just to scam some more cash off the top shows you what his real motivations are (free speech ain't it) at any point and users on the site are basically told they are nothing more than metrics who can be sacrificed when needed.

      • Even in the article it states a bill of $1.6m, nothing for a billionaire.

        That seems really high for the amount of traffic (or lack thereof) that I'd imagine Truth Social gets. I guess the bad thing about being a known grifter is that the only people who are willing to do business with you are also equally shady. It's kinda like when you have bad credit and the only car dealers willing to work with you are buy-here-pay-here lots that charge the legal maximum interest rates on barely-running jalopies, and they act like they're doing you a favor.

        • Yeah I didn't see in the article for what services or how long that bill is for so I don't have a frame of reference for costs but as you mentioned it should not be difficult for Trump to keep this site operating and not that expensive either.

          The irony if it were tog et shut down is that the place actually seems to be working somewhat. Things I have read show it has a decent amount of engagement from his usual fanbase so it should be a pretty simple and hands off operation especially considering they just

        • That seems really high for the amount of traffic (or lack thereof) that I'd imagine Truth Social gets.

          There were reports initially that Truth Social was spawning a separate Wordpress instance for each user.

          I don't know anything about their internals, but I do know that inexperienced people who don't know how to optimize database queries often end up paying Amazon more than they should, by a couple orders of magnitude.

          When your first response to any performance problem is to "add hardware", you end up paying for it. The first response should be "let's profile it."

      • Re:And as usual (Score:5, Informative)

        by UnknowingFool ( 672806 ) on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @12:18PM (#62836621)

        . Even in the article it states a bill of $1.6m, nothing for a billionaire.

        Some would assume that Trump does not pay his bills is because he does not have the money. There is a very long of list of people and companies Trump refused to pay. One of the main reason that US banks refused to loan him money to him is his history of non-payment. Currently Trump is having issues finding criminal lawyers probably because he has refused to pay his own lawyers in the past.

        Yes, the wealthy stay wealthy by using other peoples money but having this site is overall a plus for Trump. The fact that he is willing to endanger it just to scam some more cash off the top shows you what his real motivations are (free speech ain't it) at any point and users on the site are basically told they are nothing more than metrics who can be sacrificed when needed.

        A lot of his followers are under the impression that Trump made all his money. In reality, he inherited most his money or he would have been in serious financial trouble. Trump lost all the seed money his father gave him to start in life. Remember all the Trump bankruptcies? The man is not good with money.

        • Trump's PAC receives a lot of donations and has $100 million on hand, that is a matter of public record [fec.gov].

          Whether he could use that to fund Truth Social, I don't know. In theory there are laws about using that money as personal income, but I don't know whether that overlaps with the reality we are living in. Certainly he'll never miss a meal.

          • "Trump's PAC receives a lot of donations and has $100 million on hand, that is a matter of public record."

            Money in Trump's PAC is not Trump's money and he cannot legally access it for purposes that PACs are not authorized for.

            Not that Trump ever cared about such technicalities, I'll grant you.

        • Re:And as usual (Score:5, Informative)

          by Darinbob ( 1142669 ) on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @02:27PM (#62837153)

          He's very good at having other people pick up the tab for bankruptcies. And having other people pick up the tab everywhere else as well. If one of his businesses succeeds, he takes full credit, if one fails then someone else is left holding the bag. He famous deal making is about trying to con the other guys and hope their gullible.

      • Re:And as usual (Score:5, Insightful)

        by smooth wombat ( 796938 ) on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @12:28PM (#62836667) Journal
        Like him or hate him the man is very wealthy,

        False. We have no indication if he has any wealth because a) he has never shown any documentation to show such wealth and b) has threatened to sue anyone who might supply such information. Even Steve Bannon has said the con artist isn't worth anything near [people.com] a billion dollars.

      • Are you sure he's really wealthy just because he says he is? He has to live at a club and not his own home, for one. He's lied like hell about his finances in the past. And very clear evidence of financial problems is that he apparently can't afford a decent lawyer.

        • He does own a lot of properties, he does have a few homes albeit usually on his own properties (Trump Tower).

          Does that mean he's a good businessman? No. Does it means he's good with money? No. Is he a trust fund baby that hasn't used his money to keep pace with AN S&P index fund? Yes. Are his finances built on a shaky foundation of shady backroom deals? Almost certainly.

          It could be a mirage but I don't think it's out of the question that he could self finance a moderate sized social media site. The

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by HiThere ( 15173 )

          IIUC, the reason he can't get a decent lawyer is because he didn't pay his last one. And lawyers need a judges permission to quit in the middle of a case. (Not sure about that second part, but I think it's true.)

      • Re:And as usual (Score:5, Insightful)

        by RotateLeftByte ( 797477 ) on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @02:49PM (#62837211)

        Trump is set to pocked $200Million if the deal goes through. However, the SPAC part of the deal is having second thoughts because of the failure of Truth Social to lure in the gullible on a regular basis.
        They have asked the SEC for another year to close the deal. If the site (Truth Social) was a monumental success wouldn't the parties want the deal closed ASAP? Then they can all run for the hills with their pockets overflowing with cash. But... they aren't.

        Trump has yet to operate a business outside of real estate that 1) lasts for 5 years and 2) turns a profit in all years. And people still want him to be POTUS?
        I pity you all, I really do.

      • Re:And as usual (Score:5, Interesting)

        by bustinbrains ( 6800166 ) on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @04:33PM (#62837505)

        I neither like nor hate him. His own actions, words, and lack of character speak for themself: He's just a terrible human being to other human beings who, unrelated to being a terrible human being, was unfit to ever be President. To the latter point, he didn't and still doesn't have any credentials/skills that fit the actual job description of POTUS:

        1) Commander and Chief of the combined armed forces of the U.S. Key skill: A deep understanding of military strategy - both historical and modern warfare.
        2) Maintaining existing diplomatic relations with allies and, time permitting, form new alliances that don't upset existing allies. Key skill: Knowing when to shut up.
        3) Authoring proposed laws to be considered by Congress (the White House is the primary source of legislation) as well as signing or vetoing laws passed by Congress. Key skill: The ability and eagerness to read and digest/understand/comprehend thousands upon thousands of pages of law and related documents every week. The signing/vetoing portion is important, sure, but it's 0.001% of this part of the job responsibility.

        Each of those three responsibilities is a full time, 60+ hour a week job. I estimate that it requires investing at least 200 hours per week across those three areas to do the job of POTUS competently. Unfortunately, there are only 168 hours total per week (24 * 7 = 168). This is why Presidents appear to age about 15 years for every 4 years in office. Any additional perceived responsibilities (e.g. making a statement after a natural disaster) is time away from their actual responsibilities. Trump had and, for whatever reason, still has none of those three key skills despite having been POTUS for 4 years.

        When I vote, I vote whether or not I perceive that the person has the necessary background/qualifications for and actually understands the job...similar to a job interview + resume only with lots of very public scrutiny. When I watch televised debates, there is inevitably at least one candidate being interviewed who clearly doesn't even know what the job entails! Anyone watching can tell because the moderator (aka interviewer) raises an eyebrow and says things like, "Perhaps you should be running for the State Senate instead of Secretary of State. SoS can't actually do what you are saying you want to do." Then the candidate usually foolishly doubles down and I get a good laugh as I cross them off my list.

      • I'm more surprised that he still finds people willing to do business with him.

    • Re:And as usual (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Chris Mattern ( 191822 ) on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @02:52PM (#62837217)

      "Trump is stiffing on the hosting bill."

      They shouldn't feel special. It's well documented that Trump stiffs *everybody*. If you do business with Trump, your billing department is going to need to be well-staffed with good lawyers (fortunately, Trump is having trouble getting good lawyers because he never pays his).

  • Not like it matters. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Major_Disorder ( 5019363 ) on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @11:34AM (#62836413)
    I hear they are not paying their bills (Who saw that coming?) so chances are they won't be around much longer anyway.
    I wonder who they will blame for their failure.

    • Re:Not like it matters. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by MachineShedFred ( 621896 ) on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @11:39AM (#62836427) Journal

      I wonder who they will blame for their failure.

      Recent events would argue the answer to be: anyone and everyone but the persons actually responsible.

      These people live in a post-accountability post-consequences universe. Nothing bad is ever their fault, and always the result of someone else's fuckups. Never theirs.

    • Re:Not like it matters. (Score:5, Funny)

      by ArchieBunker ( 132337 ) on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @11:43AM (#62836449)

      I wonder who they will blame for their failure.

      1. Sentence containing the word "woke"
      2. Democrats
      3. Liberal tech industry
      4. Anyone in the LGBTQ+ crowd
      5. Hunter Biden's laptop
      6. Hillary's emails
      7. Benghazi

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Teun ( 17872 )
        You forgot the Deep State, RINO's and (commie) press.

        • "Socialists", forgot that, they're obsessed with socialists. Even those that don't exist. My mom, clearly getting her news from newsletters, claims that the California decision to only sell electric vehicles in 2035 was the most socialist thing the state has ever done. But it's not socialism; she might not like it, others may have good reasons to not like it, but it doesn't fit any definition of socialism. Apparently Biden is also the most socialist president ever, despite not meeting any of the definit

          • All the while, your mom is probably quite happy to draw a check from *social* security and make use of Medicare and/or Medicaide.

      • BINGO! *shows everyone card*

      • Re:Not like it matters. (Score:5, Funny)

        by thegarbz ( 1787294 ) on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @12:44PM (#62836753)

        So the woke democrat gay liberal tech industry who is storing Hunter's laptop containing Hillary's emails in Benghazi prevented them paying the bills?

        In 2013 I would have considered that The Onion article level word salad, but in 2022 I only wonder if a republican senator would use those words in the same order.

      • Gay democrats in the woke liberal tech industry hid hilary's emails on hunter biden's laptop so nobody could prove benghazi, and that your honor is why I could not pay my hosting bill

        • Not too far off. Google officially got off the approved list for conservatives a long time ago precisely because they provided domestic partner benefits to gay employees. PBS fell afoul also this way, but it created a quandary to boycotting it because it was also the only place to get the Lawrence Welk Show.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by nasch ( 598556 )

            PBS fell afoul also this way

            PBS (and NPR even more so) has been liberal latte communist gay crap to them for a long time.

      • Don't forget....

        8. Election Fraud

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by shanen ( 462549 )

        Well... Best of the Funny comments on the intrinsically funny-not-funny story, but one of the jokes I was looking for would have involved the use of "holdup" in the story headline. Confusion about which robber is holding up which other robber?

        I only see one substantive difference between them. Long I ago I had some respect for the google. TFG? Not so much. As in less than null.

        Main similarity? Ads = propaganda = lies. Frequent and loud repetitions are required, but especially when they get too divorced from

    • I wonder who they will blame for their failure.

      My guess is Obama or Hillary or Biden.

      • I wonder who they will blame for their failure.

        My guess is Obama or Hillary or Biden.

        Hunter or Joe?


        I am betting on... D. All of the above.

  • "No" is an answer (Score:4, Insightful)

    by GlennC ( 96879 ) on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @11:38AM (#62836421)

    And it appears that's what "Truth Social" is telling Google in response to their request.

    "Truth Social" appears to be trying to place the blame on Google.

    Typical narcissistic behavior...blame anyone else.

  • A (relatively) new axiom (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Petersko ( 564140 ) on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @12:06PM (#62836553)

    Any source with the word "Truth" in the title can be assumed to be peddling bullshit. Very rarely, you might be wrong. But you will be overwhelmingly right.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by dohzer ( 867770 )

      Just like adding the word "People's" or "Democratic" to the name of your country means the opposite is true.

  • Here's the crux of the matter (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Caro Cogitatus ( 7226002 ) on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @12:07PM (#62836557)
    Google's concerns relate to content such as physical threats and incitements to violence.

    Take away those things, and the Truth Social audience won't know what to talk about.

  • Calls to violence comes from the top (Score:5, Insightful)

    by jsepeta ( 412566 ) on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @12:12PM (#62836587) Homepage

    Trump / MAGA inspired comes from the top, from Donald J Trump himself as well as from douchebag loyalists like Steve Bannon and Lindsey Graham. Until the GOP disavows Trump, they'll never disavow violence. Hell, you've got Ted Cruz suggesting that Secession from the Union is an acceptable alternative to allowing Democrats to enforce laws.

    • Re:Calls to violence comes from the top (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @12:18PM (#62836619)

      "If conservatives become convinced that they cannot win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. They will reject democracy.”

      • Re:Calls to violence comes from the top (Score:5, Insightful)

        by ArchieBunker ( 132337 ) on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @12:24PM (#62836653)

        Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them.

        -Barry Goldwater

        • Re:Calls to violence comes from the top (Score:4, Insightful)

          by phantomfive ( 622387 ) on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @06:23PM (#62837807) Journal

          Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they're sure trying to do so,

          Since then, they've never been able to get more than 30%.

          If the christian coalition were powerful enough, we would have seen Mike Huckabee as president (or at least candidate). They are strong enough to be an influence, but in 200 years they've never managed to gain power. And they aren't growing stronger.

  • What do you mean, it has great moderation! (Score:3)

    by rsilvergun ( 571051 ) on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @12:26PM (#62836659)
    Post anything positive about Joe Biden & his party or critical of Donald Trump and his party and you can expect a ban in minutes. It'd take Twitter days to take down a similar post.

    Seriously though, they've been caught multiple times banning (not "shadow banning" but outright banning) left wing content. It's not about speech. It never is. It's about control.

    • I'm really looking forward to the posts from Bernie Sanders and AOC.

      • than shit post. The media pretty much has a black out on both of them though unless their criticizing Biden. Then it's front page news. "The Dems are in Disarray" has become a meme on fark because every story about them in the media is negative.

        Somebody said if Joe Biden cured cancer tomorrow the headline would read "Biden Cures Cancer, putting millions of healthcare professionals out of work".
  • Plenty of threats, incitements for violence happens on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms. Why give Truth Social a hard time?

    Certainly Google is not politically motivated in this hard stance... /s.

    • Plenty of threats, incitements for violence happens on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms.

      Indeed and they have moderation systems which results in posts getting taken down and people getting banned.

      Why give Truth Social a hard time?

      Because they don't have such a moderation system.

      I hope that clears everything up for you. No one is asking for perfection, hell they aren't even asking for good, they are just asking for something to exist where it currently does not.

  • Truth Social Has A Problem (Score:3)

    by aerogems ( 339274 ) on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @12:58PM (#62836815)

    With the truth. Didnâ(TM)t see that coming!

  • They can manually install the software onto their phone. The Truth Social comany merely needs to release a compatible apk file. The technique is called "side loading".

    Sure sucks when large business won't cater to your whims. /s

  • Truth Social is just a Twitter knockoff, Twitter has a great PWA. Truth Social could do the same and then not need the Google Play store at all

    Maybe the fact that's it's called a "Progressive" Web App, was deemed too Woke to be considered an option.
    • PWAs are cool, but they lack critical features that the platforms are disincentivized from providing. For instance, last I heard iOS does not provide push notifications to PWA -- which would be useful for a social app. PWA is still a bit of a patchwork of feature support. I do hope it grows more since this seems to be the right future for most apps, but I suspect the platforms will always keep PWAs kneecapped so they can get their 30% cut.
  • Has Google consider what will happen when Trump posts all of thos top secret documents he stole?

    Trump is completely above the laws of any country, but for the rest of us, espionage has punishments.

  • You would not believe the depraved shit I find on the Google search app. Their content moderation is absolute trash.

    This seems like unequal treatment for the Trumpkins.

    The simple matter is that requiring root access to install a complete competing app store (e.g. F-Droid Root Enabler) ought to be illegal tying under the corporate system.

    Korea seems to be fighting hardest for competition at this point.

    Interestingly, Google seems to be betting that they're not going to be facing aggressive legislation next J

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