Donald Trump has become a defendant in a lawsuit filed by two American media groups regarding a new service of Truth Social, which charges up to $100,000 a month for early access to his posts.
According to BBC, the lawsuit was filed in a federal court in New York by The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation. The plaintiffs argue that selling priority access to the president's messages is "extraordinary, corrupt, and unconstitutional."
Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) stated that the lawsuit was filed by "left-wing activists" seeking to censor the president.
As BBC explains, Truth Social's paid service provides subscribers with almost instantaneous access to Trump's posts; they receive them a few seconds earlier than those announcements become available to the general public. The plaintiffs argue that those few seconds matter, as Trump often uses the platform to announce important events, such as during the war with Iran, which can affect financial markets.
They believe that such a system gives an unfair advantage to those who can afford to pay for it, creating a situation where market-sensitive information reaches paying customers first.
According to BBC, currently, more than 10 companies pay up to $100,000 a month for accelerated access to Truth Social posts.
Trump Media and Technology Group introduced this service, named Truth API, in mid-July. The company stated that it would deliver posts from Trump and other prominent users in mere milliseconds.
In response to the lawsuit, a TMTG representative stated that President Trump's information is disseminated through countless platforms and news organizations, many of which offer subscription-based APIs.
