Truth Social says Google tolerates app store violations by competitors, as approval drags out

Four-year-old Rep. Swalwell tweet "threatening nuclear war on law-abiding citizens" remains live on Twitter, with no sanction against its Android app, Trump Media and Technology Group says.

By Madeleine Hubbard and Greg Piper

Published: August 30, 2022 2:30pm

Updated: August 30, 2022 4:13pm

Trump Media and Technology Group is trying to tamp down its feud with Google over the latter's refusal to approve its Truth Social app in its current form barely two months before midterm elections.

After TMTG CEO Devin Nunes told "Just the News Not Noise" that he didn't know "what's taking so long" for Google to approve the former president's app, Google said it told TMTG Aug. 19 that the submitted app committed "several violations of standard policies," including insufficient moderation of user-generated content.

"Last week Truth Social wrote back acknowledging our feedback and saying that they are working on addressing these issues," a Google spokesperson told Just the News.

Truth Social remains available for preorder on Google Play and developers can distribute their apps through other Android app stores or their own websites, according to Google. The company contends Nunes misrepresented their communications about fixing the app's failure to police physical threats and incitement to violence.

In a press release Tuesday afternoon, TMTG said it has "continuously worked in good faith with Google to ensure that the Truth Social Android App complies with Google's policies without compromising our promise to be a haven for free speech."

TMTG contrasted its content moderation policies, "which independent observers have noted are among the most robust in the industry," with Twitter's refusal to remove a 2018 tweet by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) that TMTG characterized as "threatening nuclear war on law-abiding citizens." Twitter for Android remains live, it noted.

"Moreover, some of our competitors’ apps are allowed in the Google Play Store despite rampantly violating Google’s prohibition on sexual content and other policies, whereas Truth Social has zero tolerance for sexually explicit content," the company said.

While it has "no desire to litigate its business matters in the public sphere," TMTG "has promptly responded to all inquiries from Google" and looks forward to Truth Social's approval "at their earliest convenience."