An investigation into Coca-Cola's custom can messaging system has revealed an inconsistent moderation policy, allowing some controversial phrases while blocking widely accepted terms. The system, which has a 18-character limit for personalized messages, has drawn scrutiny for its selective enforcement.
Testing by Fox News Digital found that mainstream religious phrases like "Jesus is Lord" and "Allah is Lord" are rejected, with users receiving a message stating, "The name or phrase you’ve submitted is not permitted." The notification also indicates that names and phrases may be blocked if they are "religious or political in nature, or could be considered inappropriate or unsuitable for other reasons."
However, anti-theist phrases such as "God is Dead" and "Atheist Pride" were permitted, as were religious greetings like "Shalom" and "Buddha Bless." This indicates a stricter algorithmic suppression of mainstream religious affirmations compared to secular or alternative viewpoints.
Political slogans also faced disparities. "Make America Great," a patriotic and right-leaning slogan, was blocked, along with any specific political leader names and all racial or identity pride phrases like "White Pride," "Black Pride," and "Black Lives Matter." In contrast, left-wing slogans like "Defund the Police" and the name of the far-right group "Proud Boys" were deemed acceptable.
A geopolitical inconsistency was also observed, with "Stand with Israel" being allowed while "Free Palestine" was blocked. Basic text manipulation tactics, such as adding spaces or numbers to bypass security rules (e.g., "P e d o p h i l e" or "Wh1t3 Pr1d3"), were also found to circumvent the system's filters.
Most alarmingly, extremely harmful phrases, including "Pedophile Pride" and "MAP Pride" (Minor-Attracted Person), were permitted by the filter, at least as of Friday afternoon. The company acknowledged a "technical issue" affecting the personalization preview tool.
A Coca-Cola spokesperson stated, "We are aware of a technical issue affecting the personalization preview tool and are working to address it." The company has since disabled the preview feature and paused new personalized product orders. "All personalization orders are subject to moderation review after submission, and we have safeguards in place to prevent the approval and production of cans and bottles featuring religious, political, trademarked, inappropriate, or otherwise restricted terms and phrases," the spokesperson added. "We will continue to enhance this tool based on consumer feedback."
This is not the first time Coca-Cola's automated customization filters have faced public criticism. In 2021, similar inconsistencies were reported regarding political, religious, and social movement terms.