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Posted: 2021-10-24T02:46:21Z | Updated: 2021-10-30T04:36:29Z

The founder of the software codebase program apparently lifted by Donald Trump s new Truth Social media venture is seeking legal counsel to make certain the operation complies with licensing requirements to keep the program free and accessible to the public.

The Trump site already appears to be violating licensing requirements.

Twitter users earlier this week reported that the operation seems to be based on an open-source social networking software called Mastodon .

Users have already found ways to create accounts, even though Trumps platform is not officially launching until later this year. Screenshots show that the operation site is strikingly similar to Mastodon.

Didn't take long but that layout is IDENTICAL to the layout of Mastodon 3.0, just recoloured.

Truth Social is a fucking Mastodon fork pic.twitter.com/n0FqZbQTW5

Nicole on Arknights Brainrot (@VValkyriePub) October 21, 2021","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Nicole on Arknights Brainrot","author_url":"https://twitter.com/VValkyriePub","cache_age":86400,"description":"Didn't take long but that layout is IDENTICAL to the layout of Mastodon 3.0, just recoloured.Truth Social is a fucking Mastodon fork pic.twitter.com/n0FqZbQTW5 Nicole on Arknights Brainrot (@VValkyriePub) October 21, 2021\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_hide_thread":{"label":"Hide previous Tweet in conversation thread","value":true},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":720,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FCMcoflVQAELQ1A.jpg:large","thumbnail_width":1280,"title":"Nicole on Arknights Brainrot on 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Didn't take long but that layout is IDENTICAL to the layout of Mastodon 3.0, just recoloured.

Truth Social is a fucking Mastodon fork pic.twitter.com/n0FqZbQTW5

Nicole on Arknights Brainrot (@VValkyriePub) October 21, 2021

Based on the screenshots I have seen, it absolutely is based on Mastodon , Mastodon founder and lead developer Eugen Rochko told Vices Motherboard in an email.

The underlying code can be used by anyone providing users comply with Mastodons licensing requirements, which doesnt currently seem to be the case in Trumps venture.

Social networking, back in your hands, touts Mastodons website . Publish anything you want: links, pictures, text, video. All on a platform that is community-owned and ad-free, it adds in operational tenets that seem far from the world of Trump businesses.

The Trump network TruthSocial.com appears to have helped itself to Mastodon code while also violating its licensing requirements. The main part of the license is making the source code and any modifications to it available to the public , Rochko told Motherboard.

Those requirements are not listed online in Truth Socials Truth social terms of service.

In fact, the terms indicate that all source code of Truth Social is proprietary. Calling the code proprietary would be a problem, as that would indicate a license violation, Rochko told Motherboard.

I do intend to seek legal counsel on the situation, Rochko told Talking Points Memo in an email Thursday, though he provided no specifics on legal action he may be considering.

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Compliance with our AGPL license is very important to me as that is the sole basis upon which I and other developers are willing to give away years of work for free, Rochko noted.

The AGPL license mandates that software provided for free like Mastodon remain publicly available even after it has been modified.

Trump Media & Technology Group, the company behind Truth Social, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Software Freedom Conservancy, an organization that enforces free and open-source software licenses, said the Trump venture has 30 days to comply with license requirements. Failure to do so will automatically and permanently terminate their rights and permissions, SFC representative Bradley Kuhn said in a statement.

Trump on Wednesday announced the launch of a media company and the social media platform to stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech. As for tyranny, users are banned from criticizing the site or those behind it , presumably including the former president.

Rochko told Motherboard: If you want my personal opinion on Trump, I cannot stand the guy.

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Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?

Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. We hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.

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