Apple gets text censoring patent to tackle “sexting”

A patent which Apple filed for back in 2008 to allow the monitoring and censoring of inappropriate text messages has been granted to the company.

The theory is that the patent is aimed at younger iPhone users, allowing parents to prevent them from receiving age inappropriate messages, or indeed “sexting” each other as hormonally driven teenagers do.

According to the Telegraph, the patent reads: ““For example, users such as children may send or receive messages (intentionally or not) with parentally objectionable language. The content of such a message is controlled by filtering the message based on defined criteria. The criteria may be defined according to a parental control application.”

It’s not a surprising move, given the control Apple likes to exercise over its gadget user base, but it’s not likely to be a particularly effective one.

Youngsters who find their phones shackled by the bonds of the Apple sexting police will likely soon find a way round, it not being particularly difficult to invent alternative words for rude ones.