When Word Censors Run Amok

[chrysylys]

Can y'all have a looksee at these two threads and maybe tweak the censors a tad?

https://community.ebay.com/t5/My-Account/Feedback-too-vulgar-but-I-fail-to-find-the-error/m-p/279020...

https://community.ebay.com/t5/My-Account/quot-Profanity-on-eBay-quot-when-trying-to-leave-a-positive...


Censors should test the totality of the character string including the characters before and after the perceived offending word or phrase.  Both of these would have failed that simple test and the strings would have been allowed.

I've seen it quite often here on the boards too as in this post:   https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Return-request-from-buyer-who-is-not-very-bright/m-p/28028102#...


There is a very large and famous Japanese electronics firm that might come out as Matsu**bleep**a on this board the way the current censors work.

[alan@ebay]

Hi @chrysylys,

The first two links you provided aren't related to the filter on the Community platform. 

The third is a good example of where the Lithium Community filter could be enhanced. We'll look into that to see if we can update, if not, we'll send it to Lithium as an enhancement request.

Many thanks. 

[chrysylys]

---

alan@ebay wrote:

The first two links you provided aren't related to the filter on the Community platform. 

---

Granted, but they are a system problem that needs to be referred to whoever handles those things.

[alan@ebay]

Agreed. I'll get those examples to the appropriate team.

Thanks. 

[chrysylys]

Rather than start a new thread on censors and bleeps, I'll stick this here.

Can the Ama ...  site name be added to the Bleep list?  I'm getting tired of seeing it on so many threads -- literally dozens of times a day.  People are not paying attention to Rule 12 and reporting doesn't always get action since many posts straddle the line but don't really cross it.

[alan@ebay]

Members are permitted to post about Amazon.

#12 is specifically related to advertising other sites and encouraging others to stop using eBay. If Amazon is mentioned in that context (advertising) then there may be an issue. 

Thanks! 

[missjen831]

I have wondered what is going on with the censors. The A-word, aka another word for a donkey's rear-end does, not get bleeped out on the boards. But some acronyms do. Why? I used an acronym composed of the letters W, T and F in a private message to a boardie friend and it got bleeped out. Which is fine, no biggie. But why doesn't the A-word get bleeped out? There are other examples but my mind is escaping me right now. Oh yes.....I have also had OH followed by the letters F F and S bleeped out. But the A-word doesn't get bleeped out. It makes no sense!

[partial*eclipse]

Ah, our old friends, "pen is" and "wish it."  And dont' forget  their cousin, the word "who" before any word beginning with "re."  

Our favorite naughty word, basement, reappeared recently.  Nobody except Lithium's bots could come up with this imaginative interpretation!

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Can-t-leave-Neutral-feedback-for-a-seller/qaq-p/19982014

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Member-To-Member-Support/What-is-profane-about-this-feedback-comment/q...

[partial*eclipse]

---

@missjen831wrote:

---

 ... . The A-word, aka another word for a donkey's rear-end does, not get bleeped out on the boards. But some acronyms do. ... W, T and F ....I have also had OH followed by the letters F F and S bleeped out. But the A-word doesn't get bleeped out. It makes no sense!

Well, the a-word has an actual legitimate acceptable equine meaning (BTW, it's the whole animal), whereas those acronyms have no alternative acceptable interpretation. Apparently the a-word gets the benefit of the doubt.

[chrysylys]

---

@partial*eclipsewrote:

Our favorite naughty word, basement, reappeared recently.  Nobody except Lithium's bots could come up with this imaginative interpretation!

---

I haven't looked at those threads, but I do remember that 'the basement' had a very specific use on the boards in the Live World days.  It was not profane in any way, but LW didn't like it and the block may have somehow carried over.

[partial*eclipse]

Nope, that's not it.  It's another example of what happens when the feedback bots are told to ignore spaces and punctuation. In this case, they've entered a space after the "ba" and again before the "t".

[chrysylys]

Well, that particular bodily fluid has never been 'profane' and it isn't even the less acceptable slang version.

I believe I said it above, word censors should always test the totality of the phrase including any characters before and after, rather than just the letter sequence.