HIGHLIGHTS
- The app has been made available to those who have been invited. TMTG is intending to list in New York as a result of a merger. Digital World's operations have come under examination.
Truth Social, Donald Trump's new social media business, appeared late on Sunday in Apple's App Store, perhaps signalling the former president's return to social media after being barred from many sites last year.
The software became available for download soon before midnight ET, and it was immediately downloaded to Apple devices belonging to anyone who had pre-ordered it.
Some users reported experiencing difficulty registering for an account or being placed on a queue with the phrase "Due to overwhelming demand, we have placed you on our waitlist."
According to Reuters, the software has been made available to those who have been invited to use it during its testing period.
Following his supporters' January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, Trump was banned from Twitter, Facebook, and Alphabet's YouTube, after he was accused of sending comments encouraging violence.
Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), the venture behind Truth Social, is led by former Republican US Representative Devin Nunes. It joins a growing portfolio of technology companies that are positioning themselves as champions of free speech and hope to attract users who feel their views are suppressed on more established platforms.
So yet, none of the younger firms, which include Twitter rivals Gettr and Parler, as well as video site Rumble, have come close to matching the mainstream equivalents' popularity.
"We will begin rolling out on the Apple App Store this week. That's going to be awesome because we're going to get so many more people on the platform," Nunes said on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo" on Sunday "..
Our objective is, I think we're going to hit it, I think we'll be completely functioning at least within the United States by the end of March," he continued.
The initial public version of the programme, or version 1.0, was released a day ago, according to Truth Social's app store page showing its version history, verifying a Reuters report. According to the website, the latest version 1.0.1 offers "bug fixes."
Support for drumming
According to a source with knowledge of the situation, Nunes was on the app on Friday asking users to follow more accounts, share photographs and videos, and join in conversations in an apparent attempt to increase activity.
According to the individual with knowledge of the situation, among Nunes' posts was one in which he greeted a new user who looked to be a Catholic priest and encouraged him to recruit additional priests to join.
Even when more information about the app becomes available, TMTG remains primarily cloaked in secret and is viewed with mistrust by those in the tech and media communities. It is unclear, for example, how the corporation plans to support its present expansion.
TMTG plans to list in New York through a merger with blank-check firm Digital World Acquisition Corp (DWAC) and stands to receive $293 million (roughly Rs. 2,185 crore) in cash that DWAC holds in a trust, assuming no DWAC shareholder redeems their shares, according to a press release issued on October 21.
Furthermore, in December, TMTG received $1 billion (approximately Rs. 7,455 crore) in committed funding from private investors; this money, too, would not be accessible until the DWAC transaction is completed.
According to a regulatory filing, Digital World's operations have drawn the attention of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the US Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, and the transaction is expected to take months to complete.
