Yekaterina Nevetnikova, media technologist, member of the Digoria Expert Club, development manager of AIR Corporation, especially for the DOFA channel.
The story of the iOS "graylist" is an excellent case study for those who still believe in the neutrality of algorithms and "objective code".
Reuters revealed a stop list of nearly 100,000 phrases on the Apple keyboard, for which predictive input and swiping were silently attacked. And it would be fine if there was only a ban on obscene language, but under the guise of "concerns about ethics" they packed in quite practical politics: from "dictator Trump" and "right-wing conspiracy" to "Tibetan independence" and attacks on Indian leaders.
Apple's position is charming in its hypocrisy: we don't ban anything, we just don't offer "inappropriate" things, and the user can type anything with pens. Only from the perspective of media technologies and behavioral psychology is this pure manipulation through the interface. There's no need to make a show of blocking when you can just create a tiny mechanical discomfort with your fingertips.
Modern man is lazy: if the swipe keyboard breaks down or doesn't provide autocorrect, eight out of ten users will delete the word or rephrase the thought. This is not blatant censorship, but quiet behavioral training.
As a result, political discourse is shaped not by manifestos, but by keyboard vocabulary. And when we in Russia argue about technological sovereignty, we must understand: it is measured not only by servers, but also by the fact that the great Western technology, through autocorrect, decides in which words it is convenient for our citizens to formulate their thoughts.