Could Not Send Card Because Her Friend Was Called Dick.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2323601/M-S-censors-grannys-card-friend-Dick-Store-admits-banned-tells-friend-Richard-instead.html

Seems like another of our once well known words has caught the eye of the 'over sensitive force'.

What other once innocent words, are now a no, no?

[anotheoldgit]

At least AnswerBank is not so sensitive, I did wonder when I typed the word.

[daffy654]

Dick has always had the 'snigger value' about it since I was little. It isn't a new thing.

[jno]

the N word. The C word. Language changes all the time. But robots are rather blunt instruments for doing it.

Nothing to do with political correctness "gone mad", however.

[rockyracoon]

That's bloody ridickulous!

[jim360]

It's a failure of technology rather than anything else. As yet it's not clear how to get round it. "Exclude Dick except when capitalised or followed by a surname" won't work, for example, and can't really be translated efficiently into computer code that I know of.

The M&S suggestion was, just about, the only way round it unfortunately. The problem is that you do want to stop people sending offensive e-cards, and unfortunately in some contexts Dick is offensive. A computer cannot tell the difference, yet. And to have staff moderating such e-cards individually would be expensive.

[ummmm]

Lol....funny you posted this. We decided yesterday that we were going to start calling my nephew Dickie (he lives with us) he didn't look very impressed.

And yes, his name is Richard.

[jim360]

To illustrate the problem the words "mishit" and "Scunthorpe" are rendered on one US-based forum I used as:

mi*doodoo*
s*eXpletive*horpe

Yes, really!

In its defence, that site has a few children as young as ten visiting regularly, and is meant to be "family-friendly" with some very nice people. Unfortunately, the word censor device is necessary, but a blunt and unsophisticated instrument.

[jake-the-peg]

Not really a story is it?

We get this all the time on here

Actually I used to work on a software product that did profanity filterring and in the early days falsing on profane words inside genuine ones was an issue - we called it the 'Scunthorpe problem'

It seems riddiculous to people because we're very good at distinguishing abusive language from innocent terms but computers are very bad.

Remember too that this has to be done in different languages and different cultures - American abusive terminology is quite different to ours.

We had to ask our localisation teams to compile lists of abusive terminology - The Chinese group got quite excited and went to a nightclub with clipboards and compiled a great list.

I suspect an excuse to go to a nightclub on expenses

[Sharingan]

I have a brother Richard who is called Dicken, not quite the same but he does draw odd word jokes here and there.

[ummmm]

Jim - Scunthorpe used to be censored on here. So did 'tit'. That annoyed the twitchers....

[ludwig]

She chose the correct solution in the end - don't use the M&S iCard service.

[AB Editor]

We use something called "regular expressions" on our filter to try and avoid that kind of stuff. It can do quite clever things, if you tell it to - but that's the issue, we have to create a large number of exceptions for it to work (and it's never 100% satisfactory).

I'd like to also just point out that, if anyone ever finds something filtered which really ought not to be, then please get in touch and let us know the issue. We're more than happy to take most things out of the filter.

[Gromit]

Automated profanity checkers programs often ban innocent words. It used to be a problem on AB before they modified their system. It is unlikely in this instance that it was ever seen and censored by a human.

I remember Nightwatchman was also banned on here.

The new filter which replaces naughty words with an innocent one is much more fun.

botox

[EcclesCake]

I used to know a chap who had been known as Dick through out his adult life. When he got promoted it was suggested that he revert to Richard, Captain Paine agreed.

[jno]

I remember hearing (though it may be an urban myth) that Hotmail used to junk Labour party emails becuse socialism contained the word Cialis.

[aelmpvw]

i suppose Roger is a no no then ...

[Zeuhl]

I have an american friend called Randy...

[ludwig]

// The new filter which replaces naughty words with an innocent one is much more fun. //

It's better than replacing the word with asterisks. You can often have a fairly mild word replaced with **** which makes it look like you used a much worse word than you actually did.

[anotheoldgit]

Wasn't there a politician called 'Willie' Whitelaw?

It must be worse for those who have embarrassing surnames though, they have to live with them for the rest of their lives, unless of course they change them by deed poll.

[daffy654]

I once had a boyfriend whose surname was Gaylard, he hated it.