Some of the posts on Truth Social, which users call for civil war and advocate for violence against the FBI, remain online Friday, some of them days after they were originally posted, according to a search by NBC News.
The Twitter-like platform backed by former President Donald Trump's media and technology company, Truth Social, was thrust into the national spotlight Thursday after it was discovered that Ricky Shiffer, the man who attempted to break into an Ohio FBI building with a nail gun while armed with a rifle, had posted violent threats against the FBI on the platform.
As of Thursday night, Shiffers profile was no longer publicly available, but posts from other users that contained similar vitriol were still visible Friday.
Is the fbi provoking the 80 million patriots to start a civil war? One user wrote a day before the attack. Another wrote, They need to be careful! Another user wrote Thursday that the Democrats FBI has declared war. Vitriol directed at the FBI from Trump supporters continued to percolate, with Truth Social offering fertile ground. Four of the top eight hashtags displayed on Truth Social were critical of the FBI, including EndTheFBI, DefundTheFBI and FBI corruption.
Shiffer appeared to post on Truth Social about his attempt to get into the FBI building Thursday morning. Shiffer posted numerous times about his anger at the FBI, urging people to prepare for combat, between the FBI raid on Trump's residence on Monday and Thursday. Truth Social launched in February and debuted with a long waitlist and an intense critical reception. Trump billed the app as an alternative platform that would allow everyone to live without social media censorship. The rollout had several technical hiccups, and over time users have discovered that there are limits to what is allowed on the platform. Consumer advocacy group Public Citizen published a report with findings showing Truth censored conversations about abortion rights and the Jan. 6 riot.
After a slow start, Truth Social has attracted a small but dedicated user base that is mostly devoted to Trump, who started posting to the platform in late April. That led to a jolt of downloads that have stagnated, though certain moments, such as the Jan. 6 hearings, have caused spikes in downloads.
Truth Social's lax moderation FAQ says that the app seeks to create a free speech haven in the social media sphere and encourages your unencumbered free expression - combined with its Trump-focused fan base has made it a hotbed for content that would normally be taken down on other platforms.
Like other social media platforms, Truth Social has a terms of service that are meant to stop users from posting things like violent threats or facing a full ban.
Truth Social has in the past said it uses artificial intelligence-powered content moderation to enforce those rules, though searches by NBC News quickly turned up threats against the FBI that were several days old.