'Music festival' or protest? Activists using code to bypass algorithm
Share this @internewscast.com


() — Online activists are using the keywords “music festival” to spread the word about protests in Los Angeles, Portland and Washington, D.C., in an effort to avoid social media suppression.

The phrase is an example of algospeak, in which users replace flagged words such as “protest,” “riot,” or “ICE” to avoid being shadowbanned, which quietly reduces a post’s visibility, particularly in search results and curated, user-focused pages.

In this case, “LA Music Festival” has become a moniker for demonstrations against the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.

In Los Angeles, “music festival” has been used online to organize resistance efforts against immigration raids, and in D.C., to rally against Trump’s federal takeover of the district.

Organizers have shared protest details online using terms like “performers” for protest speakers and “venues” for protest sites.

TikTok prohibits threats, hate speech, harmful misinformation and extreme violence, but does not include protest-related content. Still, worried their posts are being hidden, activists on the app have turned to using coded language, and the approach has spread to Instagram, X and other platforms.

Users have used other phrases, such as “cute winter boots,” to discuss the presence of immigration officers, Axios reported.

While the codes have helped organizers bypass algorithms, they have been met with some confusion.

“So is it all protests, or specifically ICE-related? That’s what I’m confused about,” one Reddit user wrote.

Protests are set for this weekend nationwide as demonstrators continue to push back against the Trump administration’s policies

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Persistent Heat and Dry Conditions Expected to Grip Central Florida Through New Year’s

ORLANDO, Fla. – Floridians are set to experience a split in weather…

Honoring a Legacy: WWII Navy Veteran and Pearl Harbor Survivor Ira ‘Ike’ Schab Passes Away at 105

Ira “Ike” Schab, a distinguished veteran of the United States Navy and…

Israeli Cabinet Greenlights 19 New Jewish Settlements in Occupied West Bank, Stirring International Debate

TEL AVIV – On Sunday, Israel’s Cabinet gave its approval to a…

Report: 16 Epstein Files, Including Trump Photo, Mysteriously Vanish from DOJ Website

In a call for openness, there’s a growing demand for transparency to…

Weekend Highlights: Exciting High School Basketball Tournaments Kick Off Holiday Season

On Saturday evening, basketball fans in the Tri-Cities, Tennessee area were treated…

Nicki Minaj Shocks Arizona Crowd with Unexpected Support for Trump and Vance

On Sunday, the renowned rapper Nicki Minaj made an unexpected appearance at…

Weber City Volunteer Fire Department Awarded $600,000 Grant

The Weber City Volunteer Fire Department turned the holiday season into a…

Artifacts from Pulse Nightclub to be Preserved Ahead of Demolition

ORLANDO, Fla. – As the city of Orlando moves forward in honoring…

Mini-Motorcycle Crash in Orange County Leaves Rider Seriously Injured, Troopers Report

Orange County, Fla. – A serious accident involving a mini-motorcycle on Saturday…

Shocking Incident: Woman Allegedly Drowns Child at Gaylord Palms Pool – Sheriff’s Office Investigation Underway

In Osceola County, Florida, a troubling incident at the Gaylord Palms resort…

San Francisco Power Crisis: 130,000 Residents Impacted by Major Outage

A widespread power outage plunged 130,000 homes and businesses into darkness across…

Women’s Jeep Club Brings Holiday Joy to Ronald McDonald House

The children at the Ronald McDonald House Southern Appalachia experienced a touch…