Donald Trump's Truth Social appears to ban users, delete posts it doesn't like

"Donald Trump is scared of free speech." Photo credit: Getty Images

Donald Trump supporters shouted about free speech and the former US President being censored when he was permanently banned from Twitter last year.

However, in a move that should surprise no-one, the ex-reality television star's Truth Social platform also appears to be banning users and deleting posts it doesn't like.

While Trump was banned from Twitter (and Facebook, Instagram and YouTube) for inciting violence on January 6, 2021 at the US Capitol building, posters to Truth Social are finding themselves unable to post for different reasons.

Breaking911, a popular news website, tried multiple times to post a story on Truth Social, but the content was "deleted and blocked" according to the site's Twitter account.

"'You're a wimp and a pu**y!'," the post read. "Watch Ivanka Trump, Other WH Officials Describe Heated Phone Call Between Trump & Pence on Morning of January 6th."

The final word in the first sentence was censored by Breaking911 with two asterisks in the Truth Social post, presumably to avoid being pulled up for bad language, but was posted successfully without censorship on Twitter.

The latest report comes shortly after other users reported being banned from the site for attempting to post about the House committee hearings investigating the January 6, 2021 attack.

Information Security Analyst Travis Allen, who has nearly a quarter of a million followers on Twitter, was one of those who lost their accounts.

"My Truth Social account was just permanently suspended for talking about the January 6th Committee hearings," he posted.

"So much for 'free speech'. This is censorship!," he also posted, before noting he was going to add the achievement to his Twitter biography.

Jack Cocchiarella, a self-described Gen Z activist, was another who lost access to their account, albeit temporarily.

"I was suspended from Truth Social for posting about the January 6th hearing last night. Donald Trump is scared of free speech," he wrote.

That stance may seem strange given how Truth Social describes itself on its homepage.

"Truth Social is America's 'Big Tent' social media platform that encourages an open, free, and honest global conversation without discriminating against political ideology."

Open, free and honest - but presumably not if it's something the former US President may not like.

Of course it was never going to be otherwise. Virtually all social media platforms maintain terms of service which allows them to control who and what is posted. Truth Social is no different.

Its terms of service state it "reserves 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."

It also states it can terminate anyone's user or participation in the service, delete their account or any post "without warning, in our sole discretion".

In the United States, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act allows platforms like Truth Social to be legally protected over content-moderation decisions.

Interestingly, a certain Donald Trump pressured congress to repeal the law - unsuccessfully - while he was in office.

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