TIM updates the conscious keyboard against prejudice and includes LGBTphobic expressions

The app created by the carrier had a feature warning about the use of racist terms – now broader to fight against LGBTphobia

TIM Conscious Keyboard – an app that alerts users to the use of discriminatory words and expressions in their daily lives, explains the origin of the words, and suggests replacements – has just been updated with the inclusion of LGBTphobic terms. The action is part of the carrier’s initiatives for LGBT Pride Month.

The tool was launched in November 2020 with warnings about expressions with racist connotations in Portuguese, such as “to denigrate,” “black list” or “color of sin.” In the updated version – available for free for iOS and Android – about 500 LGBTphobic words and phrases were added. Examples are “sapatão,” “baitola” and “traveco” – all terms in Portuguese used in a derogatory way to refer to LGBTI people. The app was created for TIM by BETC HAVAS in partnership with Vírgula consultancy.

“We had a team made up of LGBTI people working on this new version of the Conscious Keyboard so that everyone understands that discriminatory words and expressions – no matter how unintentionally used – can hurt and feed prejudice,” says Ana Paula Castello Branco, Head of Advertising and Brand Management at TIM. Branco highlights that technology can be an ally of social evolution: “We want to use the reach of cell phones and our service to help the construction of a more inclusive society, a future without prejudice and where people practice empathy,” she says.

To use the keyboard, you do not need to be a customer of the operator – just download the app from the App Store or Google Play. The tool is visible when the user types on social networks or communication apps and automatically highlights words and expressions considered inappropriate. By clicking on these terms, the app explains why they are deemed racist and LGBTphobic and offers options for their replacement – just like a social spell checker.