Google hits back at claims by Truth Social's CEO, saying it's waiting on Trump's new app to demonstrate 'effective' content moderation before it's allowed in the Play Store
- Google pushed back on Truth Social's claims that it was waiting on the tech giant for its debut.
- Google told Insider that it actually advised the app to fix key issues on Aug. 19 before it could go live.
Google isn't allowing Donald Trump's new social media app, Truth Social, into the App Store until it fixes key issues around content moderation, Axios first reported.
The news contrasts with what the CEO of Truth Social, Devin Nunes, told Real America's Voice last week, about its debut for Android being "up to Google."
Google told Insider that the decision actually hinges on Truth Social making the necessary changes before the company can give it the green light.
"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," the spokesperson said.
Google said it's specifically concerned about how Truth Social handles physical threats and incitement of violence.
They also said Truth Social acknowledged Google's guidance last week and said they are working to solve the issues. However, Google said Nunes' allegations misrepresent the company's ongoing conversation with Truth Social.
Trump's Truth Social launched on Apple's App Store in February and is one of many internet platforms that right-wing figures have created to circumvent what they say is Big Tech's censorship of them.
But it hasn't been an easy road for the app. Insider's Rosie Bradbury spent a week on it in April and said it was like "exploring a ghost town" that was overrun by bots.
Reuters also found in June that Truth Social was struggling to hire tech workers because it only wanted right-wing staffers, not leftists or moderates. But politics aside, it was still finding it hard to hire people, per the report.
A planned merger involving Truth Social's parent company and the SPAC firm Digital World Acquisitions is postponed as the Securities and Exchange Commission probes the platform's business and the impact that Trump's reputation can have. Truth also owes one of its vendors $1.6 million.
And just last week, Trump's application to trademark his company's name was rejected by the US Patent and Trademark Office because it was too similar to other business names.