The irony.
Truth Social, Donald Trump’s Twitter copycat claiming it is “free from political discrimination,” has reportedly banned users who posted information from Thursday’s congressional hearing on the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Users claimed Truth Social was censoring them. Reps for Trump Media & Technology Group, which owns and operates Truth Social, did not respond to a request for comment.
(Todd Spangler. “Trump’s Truth Social Is Banning Users Who Post About Jan. 6 Hearings, According to Reports.” Variety. June 10, 2022.)
So, “Truth” denies a search for the truth. Even staunch Trump supporters are shocked by this deceitful behavior. Truth Social bans users for exercising free speech, even the mention of opposing views.
Travis Allen, whose Twitter bio describes him as an information security analyst, on Thursday evening posted a screenshot from the Truth Social app that said “Account suspended,” and he wrote: “My Truth Social account was just permanently suspended for talking about the January 6th Committee hearings.”
He added, “So much for ‘free speech.’ This is censorship!” Allen did not provide details about what allegedly led to Truth Social kicking him off the platform.
“Seeing a lot of folks getting banned from Trump’s Truth Social for posting updates about the January 6 Committee hearings,” Max Burns, communications director for Democratic New York State Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou, tweeted Friday. “Apparently free speech has its limits even in Trumpland.”
Also Friday morning, another Twitter user reported, “Just put out my first post on Truth social and they deleted it. Real freedom of speech champs there.”
Social Truth?
In case your memory needs a refresher, you need to understand that Twitter permanently banned Trump in the days after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot citing the risk of ongoing violence after he posted a video praising the violent mob seeking to overturn the 2020 election. Billionaire Elon Musk, whose $44 billion bid for Twitter is pending, has called Twitter’s ban of the ex-president a mistake and a decision he would reverse.
Earlier this year, as a so-called response to counter the imagined anti-conservative bias of Big Tech, Trump launched Truth Social. It’s not clear how many users are on Truth Social. Trump currently has 3.2 million followers on the app; before he was banned from Twitter, he had more than 88 million followers.
Trump Media & Technology Group is led by CEO Devin Nunes, the former Republican congressman who once unsuccessfully sued Twitter and anonymous parody accounts Devin Nunes’ Cow and Devin Nunes’ Mom, alleging defamation.
As of March 31, 2022, TMTG had not generated any revenue to date and warned investors that “TMTG may never generate any operating revenues or ever achieve profitable operations.” isition company (SPAC) that intends to merge with TMTG.
At some point, Trump’s media company plans to launch a subscription-streaming service called TMTG+ with a range of right-wing and “non-woke” content, including “Trump-specific programming” as well as “blue-collar comedy” and “cancelled shows.”
Policy of Truth Social
Truth Social’s terms of service state, “We reserve the right to, in our sole discretion and without notice or liability, deny access to and use of the service (including blocking certain IP addresses), to any person for any reason or for no reason… We may terminate your use or participation in the service or delete [your account and] any content or information that you posted at any time, without warning, in our sole discretion.” (Twitter’s terms of service include similar language.)
Do you want even more irony?
In the U.S., under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, internet platforms like Truth Social have legal protections for their content-moderation decisions — a carve-out that Trump unsuccessfully sought to revoke when he occupied the White House.
Trump also sued Twitter unsuccessfully. In a complaint filed last year, the ex-president and others asserted that Twitter was a “government actor” and therefore bound to the First Amendment’s prohibition against abridging freedom of speech — i.e., that Twitter’s ban on Trump was unconstitutional. A federal judge rejected that argument and dismissed the case last month.
(Todd Spangler. “Trump’s Truth Social Is Banning Users Who Post About Jan. 6 Hearings, According to Reports.” https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/trumps-truth-social-is-banning-users-who-post-about-jan-6-hearings-according-to-reports-1235290726/. Variety. June 10, 2022.)
Bottom Line
The apparent banning of users contradicts Social Truth's central promise to be a "free speech platform." Since its launch, Truth Social has gained a reputation for censoring content and banning users for various reasons. It also requires users who sign up to agree to not "disparage, tarnish, or otherwise harm, in our opinion, us and/or the Site."
So, don't expect any protected First Amendment free speech on this version of “truth” – an alternative to what Trump calls “fake news.” Instead, propaganda galore is the fare. But, everyone knows by now when it comes to Trump, the truth is disparaging. He will not allow anything critical to taint his narcissistic self-adoration.
This is just one example of how an autocrat “drains the swamp.” Trump is furious over being banned by Twitter, so Social Truth is part of his revenge.
Hypocrisy? You bet. Do you remember how Trump frequently tweeted in all capital letters in a way that some critics found unusual. Truth Social's terms also contain some sections in all-caps.
However …
When signing up to Truth Social, users must agree not to "upload or transmit (or attempt to upload or to transmit) viruses, Trojan horses, or other material, including excessive use of capital letters and spamming" that "interferes with any party's uninterrupted use and enjoyment" of the site.
And, in a section titled “Term and Termination,”written in capital letters, the site informs potential users …
“WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF THESE TERMS OF SERVICE, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO, IN OUR SOLE DISCRETION AND WITHOUT NOTICE OR LIABILITY, DENY ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SERVICE (INCLUDING BLOCKING CERTAIN IP ADDRESSES), TO ANY PERSON FOR ANY REASON OR FOR NO REASON, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION FOR BREACH OF ANY REPRESENTATION, WARRANTY, OR COVENANT CONTAINED IN THESE TERMS OF SERVICE OR OF ANY APPLICABLE LAW OR REGULATION. WE MAY TERMINATE YOUR USE OR PARTICIPATION IN THE SERVICE OR DELETE [YOUR ACCOUNT AND] ANY CONTENT OR INFORMATION THAT YOU POSTED AT ANY TIME, WITHOUT WARNING, IN OUR SOLE DISCRETION.”
The “Dispute Resolution” section also employs caps, boldface, and warnings …
“ANY DISPUTE, CONTROVERSY OR CLAIM YOU HAVE ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THESE TERMS OF SERVICE, A BREACH THEREOF OR YOUR USE OF THE WEBSITE OR THE APP SHALL BE EXCLUSIVELY SUBMITTED AND DECIDED BY BINDING ARBITRATION ADMINISTERED BY THE AMERICAN ARBITRATION ASSOCIATION ("AAA"). ANY LEGAL ACTION OF WHATEVER NATURE BROUGHT BY US AGAINST YOU MAY BE COMMENCED OR PROSECUTED IN THE STATE AND FEDERAL COURTS LOCATED IN BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA, AND YOU HEREBY CONSENT TO SAME, AND WAIVE ALL DEFENSES OF LACK OF PERSONAL JURISDICTION AND FORUM NON CONVENIENS WITH RESPECT TO VENUE AND JURISDICTION IN SUCH STATE AND FEDERAL COURTS.”
(“TRUTH SOCIAL Terms of Service.” https://help.truthsocial.com/legal/terms-of-service/. February 18, 2022.)
To close, anyone who believes Truth Social's promises to respect diverse culture and beliefs especially regarding political subjects must be extremely gullible. Nevertheless, Trump on April 28 posted this on Truth Social along with a photo of himself …
"I'M BACK!" He also tacked on the hashtag "#COVFEFE" at the end of the post in a reference to the bizarre tweet he made back in 2017 before he was banned from Twitter.
(Matt Binder. “Donald Trump finally starts posting on his own social media platform, Truth Social.” Mashable. May 1, 2022.)
If you don't quite remember what that hashtag means, it happened in 2017 when Trump posted a midnight message reading, "Despite the constant negative press covfefe."
The word was clearly a
misspelling of "coverage," and Trump eventually deleted the
post – but not before the Twitterverse took notice and joked about
it for hours.
Most folks who make typos in their tweets
either don't notice it or let it slide and go on to their next
280-word message. Donald Trump, however, chose to double down on his
unfortunate gaffe by posing a challenge (via USA Today): "Who
can figure out the true meaning of 'covfefe'??? Enjoy!"
No
one seems quite sure why Trump used an infamous typo to herald his
return to social media. Perhaps it's meant to illustrate that Truth
Social welcomes all opinions, even ones that involve a slip of the
thumb.
You see, when Trump makes a mistake, he never claims responsibility. He finds some way to lie his way around his gaffes and miscues. His ego will not allow him to find himself at fault. Remember his words about Charlottesville – both groups were “bad”? Remember his denial of COVID? Remember him saying John McCain was not a war hero “because he was captured”? Remember his denial of his and his supporters' role in trying to delay the final certification of the presidential election?
The “covfefe” denial represents a microcosm of Trumpism – the epitome of the dangerous mind of a deceitful leader. His use of propaganda, inaccurate and misleading information, and suppression of the freedom of speech help define his authoritarian politics. The self-proclaimed “Chosen One” must maintain his pride of personal perfection, no matter the tiny error.
I'll close with a look at tips for understanding an authoritarian's playbook. I am certain you will find these tactics in Trump's arsenal of attack. I am also sure you will readily see how Truth Social provides him with a perfect vehicle to spread these calculated “plays” that cripple democracy.
Key “Plays” in the Playbook Include:
Weaponize Fear – Embrace a language of violence, promote a more punitive culture, leverage military might at home. Give critics reason to believe they’ll be harmed if they oppose.
Target Outsiders — Stoke the fires of xenophobia by demonizing immigrants and foreigners. Blame domestic problems including economic woes on these scapegoats, and depict political opponents as sympathetic to these imagined enemies.
Undermine Institutions — Take over the courts, eliminate checks and balances, undo established treaties and legislation that limit executive power, weaken protections for free and fair elections.
Rewrite History —Exert control over schools and the media to indoctrinate the public with beliefs that reinforce autocratic power.
Exploit Religion —Appeal to the religious majority while targeting minorities. Conflate national identity with religious identity.
Divide and Conquer — Use hate speech and encourage violent actors to widen social rifts and use manufactured crises to seize more power.
Erode Truth — Attack the press as an “enemy of the people;” dismiss negative reports as “fake news,” counter legitimate information with disinformation or “alternative facts.” Blast the media landscape with endless scandal and contradiction to overwhelm the traditional fail-safes.
(Kevin Douglas Grant. “Understanding the Authoritarian’s Playbook: Tips for Journalists.” Global Investigative Journalism Network. March 02, 2020.)
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