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Apple's hidden autocomplete list blocks 'Dictator Trump' and 'Sleepy Joe'

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Neutral summary

According to an exclusive Reuters investigation published on November 6, security researcher Derik Kauffman identified a 'gray list' in iOS containing roughly 100,000 words and expressions in 'every major language' that are blocked from autocomplete and swipe typing. The list includes profanity, sexual terms, drug and violence references, and political or geopolitical phrases such as 'Dictator Trump,' 'Sleepy Joe,' 'Tibetan independence,' 'right wing conspiracy,' and 'United Ireland.' Kauffman noted that users can still type these words letter by letter, but they won't appear as suggestions. He described it as 'a very light-touch form of censorship,' adding, 'But at the scale that Apple is operating, it only takes a light touch to have a big impact.' The Verge and other outlets emphasize that the list does not prevent manual typing in messages or emails. Apple stated the keyboard is designed to avoid offensive suggestions but did not disclose details. Sources vary on the count, from 'tens of thousands' (G1) to 'nearly 100,000' (Mint, Revista Oeste).

How it was framed

Outlets: 11. Countries: 6. Facts in the shared core: 9.

Publication timeline

  1. · Channel NewsAsia (outlet profile)

    Exclusive-Apple's predictive text restrictions include 'Dictator Trump' and 'Sleepy Joe,' researcher finds

  2. · O Globo (outlet profile)

    iPhone esconde palavras como ‘ditador Trump’, ‘Joe sonolento’ e ‘independência do Tibete’ de sugestões do teclado. O teclado do iPhone mantém uma lista não divulgada de aproximadamente 100 mil palavras e expressões que…

  3. · The Jerusalem Post (outlet profile)

    Apple's predictive text restrictions include 'Dictator Trump' and 'Sleepy Joe,' researcher finds. Hundreds of millions of people worldwide use iPhones, so Apple's choices about which words its keyboard suggests could qu…

  4. · The Verge (outlet profile)

    Apple has a secret list of banned autocomplete phrases including ‘dictator Trump’ and ‘covid is a hoax’. A researcher found over 100,000 words and phrases in "every major language" that are blocked from autocomplete and…

  5. · Mint (outlet profile)

    From ‘Dictator Trump’ to ‘bad boy’: Inside Apple’s secret list of 100,000 words your iPhone won't autofill. The list, described as a digital 'grey list', reportedly contains nearly 100,000 words and their variations, al…

  6. · Times of India (outlet profile)

    PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi & Trump on Apple's secret word graylist: Report

  7. · G1 (outlet profile)

    Apple restringe sugestões de termos como 'Trump ditador' e 'Joe sonolento' no iPhone. Uma pessoa usa um telefone para fotografar iPhones em exposição durante o evento da Apple. Manuel Orbegozo/Arquivo/Reuters A Apple ma…

  8. · Olhar Digital (outlet profile)

    iPhone tem lista de 100 mil termos que não aparecem no corretor automático. Entre os termos estão referências políticas, como “ditador Trump” e “Joe sonolento”, apelido pejorativo utilizado contra o ex-presidente dos EU…

  9. · Revista Oeste (outlet profile)

    Apple restringe sugestões de ataques a Trump e Biden no iPhone. A Apple mantém uma lista interna de aproximadamente 100 mil palavras e expressões que não aparecem nas sugestões automáticas do teclado do iPhone. Entre os…

  10. · New York Post (outlet profile)

    Apple’s secret list of banned autocomplete phrases include ‘Dictator Trump,’ ‘Sleepy Joe’. "It's a very light-touch form of censorship," said researcher Derik Kauffman. "But at the scale that Apple is operating, it only…

  11. · The Japan Times (outlet profile)

    Apple’s autocomplete restrictions include ‘Dictator Trump’ and ‘Sleepy Joe,’ researcher finds. The find offers insight into the tradeoff between guessing what users are trying to say and preventing the devices from offe…

Factual core

  • Apple maintains an internal list of approximately 100,000 words and expressions that do not appear in iPhone keyboard suggestions.
  • Apple's predictive text feature restricts the phrases 'Dictator Trump' and 'Sleepy Joe'.
  • The list does not prevent users from manually typing the words in messages, emails, or other applications.
  • The list includes politically charged terms such as 'dictator Trump' and 'sleepy Joe'.
  • The gray list also includes political and geopolitical terms such as 'Right wing conspiracy', 'Tibetan independence', and 'United Ireland'.
  • Apple did not comment on the size or composition of the list, but said the keyboard is configured to avoid suggestions considered offensive or inappropriate.
  • Researcher Derik Kauffman discovered the list in September and published it on a website.
  • Kauffman used OpenAI's Codex and Anthropic's Claude Code to investigate the issue and found the list stored in Apple's operating system.
  • The list affects other languages, including French expression 'imigration trop élevée' and Hebrew term 'occupied territories'.

Full methodology →

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