A social media trend that uses coded language to bypass moderation algorithms that block content or rank it lower. Algospeak is also called "shadow banning," "ghost banning" or "comment ghosting." For example, "SA" can stand for "sexual assault" and the word "unalive" means "dead." After President Trump's deportation initiative in 2025, "cute winter boots" became algospeak for protection from ice, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ICE was created in 2003 under the Department of Homeland Security to carry out U.S. immigration laws.
Algospeak Is Not Techspeak
Algospeak is meant to confuse moderation algorithms, but techspeak is shorthand for people who do not like to type or are in a big hurry. For example, IMO means "in my humble opinion" (for more than two hundred examples of techspeak shorthand, see
digispeak).
Algospeak Is Not New
The Aesopian language did the same thing as far back as the 19th century. In speeches and in written articles, a hidden meaning was understood by the designated audience but not to the average person. The modern-day equivalent is the "dog whistle," derived from the fact that dogs can hear high-pitched frequencies humans cannot. Thus, the intended audience for the dog whistle knows what the true meaning is while others do not. See
shadow banning.