Trump Sued Over Truth Social's $100,000 Paid Service

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has been sued by two media groups over a new service on the Truth Social platform. This service charges users up to $100,000 a month for early access to Trump's posts. The lawsuit was filed on Wednesday in a federal court in New York by The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation.

The lawsuit states that selling priority access to Trump's messages raises serious concerns and is "extraordinary, corrupt, and unconstitutional." Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG) has argued that the lawsuit was filed by "leftist activists" with the aim of censoring the president.

TMTG had previously dismissed concerns about this paid service. The service offered by Truth Social delivers Trump's posts to subscribers just seconds before they are announced to the general public. The plaintiffs argue that these short timeframes are significant, as Trump often uses this platform to announce major developments, such as during the Iran war, and this could affect financial markets.

To date, more than 10 companies have been paying up to $100,000 a month for quick access to Truth Social posts. TMTG states that the service is aimed at businesses seeking faster data flow. The company announced that this service is called Truth API and was introduced in mid-July. Trump has the most followers on the platform, with approximately 13 million followers.

Seth Stern, the advocacy chief of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, emphasized that selling priority access to news created by Trump benefits a private company under his control, calling it "extremely corrupt and unconstitutional." David Bralow from The Intercept stated, "Charging for early access to the president's public announcements is completely contrary to independent press." The lawsuit describes Truth API as a "scheme" and an opportunity for profit.

Source: BBC Business