Auto-censor in content forums

[qubit]

Best not to go down that route...

I'm not in favour of censorship, so I don't want this at all.

I don't see excessive swearing anyway on this forum and the occasional word or phrase simply reflects how people talk in real life and is an important way to let off steam when people are pissed off with something. These apparently "sensitive" visitors should simply not be so prudish, not in this century, especially.

I think these are really prudent questions: has anyone actually even complained about swearing? Was it just the occasional one? If it's not an avalanche of complaints, then I certainly don't see why the rest of us should be gagged just because of the few sensitive types.

However, I have a feeling that this is coming one way or another and blanking the complete word can really muddy the meaning of a sentence. Leaving the first letter in and replacing the rest with asterisks would at least allow the reader to understand what was being said. Therefore fuck would become f*** for example. Or perhaps even f**k.

In short however, let's not go down the censorship route at all. Once started, the noose just tends to get unreasonably tight, more unpleasant and people end up walking on eggshells trying not to get on the wrong side of the mods. It's one small step to eventually apply it to other sections of the forum, which it surely will and will simply encourage mods to be more draconian over other things too, over time.

This is not to say that I think it's ok for one poster to attack another and then use lots of swear words to really offend them. Offensive stuff like that can and should be dealt with by the mods like any other case of discipline and is already in the rules.

 

[Corrosion]

Will there be an option to turn it off?

 

[Easy Rhino]

unless it is an issue that is effecting site visitors and members, i do not see the point.

 

[Conflict0s]

I think a poll will help get a better understanding on what the members feel is right

 

[PVTCaboose1337]

IMO a filter is a good idea, but for FRONT PAGE NEWS ONLY!!!!

 

[Kreij]

I always ran filters on my forums. You just have to be relatively complete in setting up the filters.
For instance, let say you filter the word "cock". Is someone in the game section who is describing a flightsim going to see .. "The ****pit of the plane is very detailed" ?

I also think it is a good idea.

 

[Binge]

Great idea. I support it, and it would be nice for members to toggle it. Even if it was discussed earlier, that's my view.

 

[erocker]

Good idea. Personally I would like to see it imposed site-wide with an option to turn it off or on with it being defaulted to on. If you don't like your naughty language censored, tick the button/box/whatever, in your User CP.

 

[Easy Rhino]

Good idea. Personally I would like to see it imposed site-wide with an option to turn it off or on with it being defaulted to on. If you don't like your naughty language censored, tick the button/box/whatever, in your User CP.

we know you like to use that naughty language

 

[Cold Storm]

Good idea. Personally I would like to see it imposed site-wide with an option to turn it off or on with it being defaulted to on. If you don't like your naughty language censored, tick the button/box/whatever, in your User CP.

Right, that would be the best option. Make it default to which if your not signed in, it's censored, but if you sign-in/sign-up you have the ability to censor or not..

And, if you dislike the word phrase that a person goes with. You, as a member, have the ability to "ignore" the persons Comments.. That's a easy one for us being a member.. But, I feel it would be good to censor the content if you are not signed in..

 

[Conflict0s]

^^ I like that idea

 

[Delta6326]

i think this is a ******* good idea

 

[erocker]

we know you like to use that naughty language

Yes, but it's not about me really. It's more about younger people who are still learning things about grammar, etiquette and just being classy. Do we want in our societies to have people being vulgar and nasty with one another all the time? For anything to be respectful we need to try to respect everyone as much as possible.

 

[Flyordie]

+1 to the idea on if you are going to implement it, do it site-wide but provide an option for users to disable it once logged in.

 

[lemonadesoda]

Oh noes. MailMan prolly brought this on...

Auto-censor? No.

Auto-warning? Yes. And it should apply to every post, not just in news and articles. The auto-warning would "spot" that the post had offensives, and rather than post immediately, would preview with the warning, "Our bot identifies possible offsensive words in your post, please re-read and correct before clicking the post button". This would allow members to self edit after a polite warning without the hand of AI rewriting or *ing their post. It will only raise more troubles otherwise... plus encourage people to swear so that their posts have lots of stars... etc. etc.

The mod view of the forum could always have a FLAG for the AI spotted posts allowing them to skim read the possible offensives.

 

[erocker]

Oh noes. MailMan prolly brought this on...

Auto-censor? No.

Auto-warning? Yes. And it should apply to every post, not just in news and articles. The auto-warning would "spot" that the post had offensives, and rather than post immediately, would preview with the warning, "Our bot identifies possible offsensive words in your post, please re-read and correct before clicking the post button". This would allow members to self edit after a polite warning without the hand of AI rewriting or *ing their post. It will only raise more troubles otherwise... plus encourage people to swear so that their posts have lots of stars... etc. etc.

The mod view of the forum could always have a FLAG for the AI spotted posts allowing them to skim read the possible offensives.

That sounds much more complicated than just ticking a box to turn it off or on, no?

 

[SummerDays]

What's the next step, installing software that censors ideas or words that they don't want us to hear?

 

[erocker]

What's the next step, installing software that censors ideas or words that they don't want us to hear?

Maybe just hired goons with an endless supply of duct tape.

 

[Cold Storm]

You have to look at it in a since that it's not censoring for the fact that there is a few people that just act like Navy men. It's More of the fact on how it looks towards people that is wanting to start here.. TPU is a great place, don't get me wrong with that.

I'll tell you this story.. I know I won't be alone in saying it.


When AOL first came up, their parent thing was one of the most pain in the butt things I have ever seen... Your parents just typed the website, and that's all your allowed.. Man, I hated it. I couldn't even go to Yahoo without my mother going onto her account, and allowing to use a search engine..


With that, there is probably still quite a few people out there that make to to where "only allowed sites" are viewed..


Now, do you want to ruin the fact for a kid that wants to learn how to oc a computer or even build one, all because we can't choose are words better?


Yes, free speech and your taking away our "freedom to express our self" is a issue that will all ways pop up.. But, To me, there is so many other ways to express yourself then being a sailor.. So much more.

 

[Binge]

This isn't even a subject that should be held in contempt. It's obvious the admins want to keep TPU as profitable to them and useful to the whole of the interwebs, and it is their site to mold how they please. Any debate about censorship and what is or isn't acceptable content is, in the end, for them to decide. Despite knowing that they are allowing us to show simple support or opposition. There doesn't need to be any complex philosophical thoughts floating around about how far is too far, and frankly there are concerned members are requesting the ability to turn off censored content for themselves. This is a compromise based on love and understanding ::gives flowers to btarunr, Cold Storm, Corrosion, erocker, Flyoride, Mailman, and SummerDays::

 

[MK4512]

Meh, I find that it actually leads to MORE swearing instead of less. Because with *'s you can say "Go **** yourself you **** ******" Whereas you normally say "Wow, look at that!" etc.

Stars/Censoring make the forum look cheap...

Also, I think that a little swearing, but not overdoing it is fine.

EDIT: How many 12 and under people visit this site that would require a censor?

 

[Binge]

Context is definitely lost, but there are people out there who may give more support to TPU if it had extra features like this in place.

 

[Cold Storm]

It's not even the censoring for the kids, but the people it self.. Say your wanting to read a news article about a certain product and it lands you to tpu. Then say, you are reading it and wanting to know what others think? Well, your slammed with the fact that you see someone going after someone else via "sailor talk".. It's really going to make you think twice about even wanting to read news via that site. let alone think the reviews where worth the time..

 

[MK4512]

It's not even the censoring for the kids, but the people it self.. Say your wanting to read a news article about a certain product and it lands you to tpu. Then say, you are reading it and wanting to know what others think? Well, your slammed with the fact that you see someone going after someone else via "sailor talk".. It's really going to make you think twice about even wanting to read news via that site. let alone think the reviews where worth the time..

If someone is going after someone else, I think that the mods better deal with that, that really isn't acceptable practice on any forum...

 

[patheticcockroach]

For instance, let say you filter the word "cock". Is someone in the game section who is describing a flightsim going to see .. "The ****pit of the plane is very detailed" ?

That's how my nickname ended up censored on Wikipedia. Thankfully I had already created my account on a local Wikipedia when they set up the censor, thus I was able to open it on other languages too, thanks to the cross-wiki login. But I'm getting off topic then... Well, I meant, make sure at least you don't pick up a stupid censorship plugin that can't tell between a syllable and a whole word.