After world’s richest person Elon Musk announced a deal to buy Twitter for $44bn, another social media platform climbed up the charts of Apple’s App Store.

Truth Social, former President Donald Trump’s platform to “stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech,” as he described it, is the most high profile new social media platform.

The Truth Social app has been available on Google Play since October last year but shot into the spotlight after it was featured on Fox News. It has since climbed to number two in the US App Store's free apps chart.

The app is being touted as a "new era in social media" by its creators and allows users to post anonymously or publicly. It also includes an ad-free version for $4.99 per month or $49.99 annually.

"This is about freedom of speech," said one user who uploaded a video explaining why they were using the app instead of other platforms such as Facebook and Twitter."I have a right to privacy and I don't want anyone else telling me what I can say or do."

One of the key features of Truth Social is that it gives users the ability to "rank" other users based on their opinions on controversial topics like abortion or immigration. Users can also see how they rank against others in their area based on these topics.

It's unclear how much traction Truth Social has gained since launching, but there are already over 200,000 registered users on the platform and it's growing quickly.

The Truth Social App promises not to censor anything that is posted on the site, which is something that Twitter was accused of doing by banning Donald Trump for posting an offensive video. You won't find any rules or regulations on this site either, as it is designed for freedom of speech and expression.

The app is available on Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store and has been described as “the most patriotic social media platform in the world” by the former President. The app was launched with a mission to “give voice to those who have been silenced by mainstream media” in an attempt to create an alternative for those who feel they have been censored by other platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Whilst controversial, the app aims to allow transparency and freedom of expression to all users no matter their political opinion, race or gender. It also claims responsibility where appropriate so users can know if someone is sharing opinions or facts.

Here at The Frog Initiative, we strongly believe in allowing a safe place for people to express their feelings online. It's still not proven whether or not 'Truth Social' is living up to its claim of being a transparent and honest app that provides freedom of speech for its users, however this will be seen in time. We would like to encourage everyone to maintain criticality and reconsider the notion of what it means to maintain the right to freedom of expression.

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