The Platform Question: Power, Accountability and Global South educational, or cultural intent. In response, individuals and collectives have developed strategies to circumvent censorship by distorting words or using symbols and euphemisms. On platforms like TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram, it is common to see expressions like “4bu$e,” “su1c1de,” or “unalive.” This tactic, known as ‘algospeak’[21], is not just a creative strategy, it is a form of resistance within a system that routinely penalizes the discussion of uncomfortable truths. Algospeak is a result of creativity and resistance in an environment that redefines what can be said, imposes automated controls, and reorganizes what is considered socially relevant. The consequences are not only individual: they affect what can be remembered, what is collectively understood, and how communities tell their stories and demands. Automated systems that penalize words without context force activists to reshape how they speak. Many of the terms flagged by algorithms have taken years to be defined and legitimize within social movements. Being unable to name things as they are weakens the message and fragments collective memory. It threatens the heart of what Latin American democracies had to build to overcome a history of authoritarianism and abuse “the very right to truth and memory”[22]. Individuals and collectives have developed strategies to circumvent censorship by distorting words or using symbols and euphemisms. On platforms like TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram, it is common to see expressions like “4bu$e,” “su1c1de,” or “unalive.” This tactic, known as ‘algospeak’. 82 The underlying issue is that algorithms centralized in few giant corporations fail to understand context. As one TikTok user explained: “AI systems struggle to grasp the intent behind a word.” This technical limitation becomes a mechanism of structural silencing, especially for complex issues like health, sexual education, or human rights. Another user added: “If a video includes sensitive language, a human should evaluate its context.” Although human moderation is key, it is also far from perfect. In fact, the different lawsuits regarding the “precarious working conditions”[23] of content moderators also highlight the lack of proper training needed to enforce platform policies consistently, often leaving the process up to the individual judgment of each person human moderating. As a result of moderation being automated, and human moderation conducted in precarious conditions, educational content on sexual health has been removed, and posts using terms like “blood” have been penalized. “Prohibiting certain words creates a taboo around crucial topics” one user noted, emphasizing that algorithmic censorship doesn’t merely delete content, it reshapes the boundaries of public discourse. Digital Resistance in the Age of Algorithmic Governance The Platform Question: Power, Accountability and Global South Such an environment may result in a reality where those who understand the codes may avoid censorship while those who don’t, remain excluded[24]. Digital Future Society warns that activists, content creators, and journalists are being forced to constantly reinvent their language to remain visible in a system dominated by algorithmic opacity[25]. When language must be constantly altered to avoid censorship, it becomes harder to build shared meaning and ensure accessibility. While adapting is necessary, it has limits. How much can we reshape language before it loses its meaning? What happens to those who can’t decode algospeak? Whose voices are systematically excluded from the digital conversation? Naming things clearly is a political act. Calling realities by their names, without euphemisms, is itself a form of resistance. Reclaiming algorithmic language does not mean normalizing it. It means making visible a system that silences. Some organizations have begun building collective resources to decode this language, such as the ‘Algospeak Dictionary’[26] developed by the Digital Rights Collective for Sexual and Reproductive Health. Democratizing these tools is essential so that more people can participate in resistance. Building pathways of resistance Resistance is about creating alternatives that embody different values. Latin American collectives are also experimenting with decentralized technologies and feminist servers that place care and community above profit. Communities are migrating to hybrid models that blend traditional media with fediverse platforms, ensuring that local struggles are not algorithmically buried. Cooperatives of journalists are joining forces to publish in distributed networks where content cannot be unilaterally removed by corporations. These are not futuristic dreams but concrete practices already happening across the region. Practices that point toward an internet where freedom of expression is not contingent on opaque standards but on collective governance. These practices are deeply rooted in the region’s history of grassroots organizing, echoing past struggles where communities built their own media and communication channels to bypass censorship and ensure their stories were heard. Digital Resistance in the Age of Algorithmic Governance When language must be constantly altered to avoid censorship, it becomes harder to build shared meaning and ensure accessibility. While adapting is necessary, it has limits. 83