Swear filter question

[Petek]

You're correct that in vBulletin multiple characters can be used to replace the letters in a censored word or phrase. Just sloppy writing on my part to imply that only a single character can be used. However, what we can't do is to replace a censored word or phrase with another word or phrase. For example, if we designated <snipped> as the "Character to replace a Censored Word," and "cat" was censored, then the word cat would display as <snipped><snipped><snipped>.

I'll have to think about some of the other points that were raised.

 

[Lefty Scaevola]

I'm not asking for unreasonable concessions here, just a relaxation of the rules for a couple of words (because their prohibition does affect peoples' ability to discuss certain topics in a coherent way) and a different way to indicate that the autocensor has been tripped.

Send me a PM about the discussion topics being nerfed and the problematic auto censor words.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

You're correct that in vBulletin multiple characters can be used to replace the letters in a censored word or phrase. Just sloppy writing on my part to imply that only a single character can be used. However, what we can't do is to replace a censored word or phrase with another word or phrase. For example, if we designated <snipped> as the "Character to replace a Censored Word," and "cat" was censored, then the word cat would display as <snipped><snipped><snipped>.

I'll have to think about some of the other points that were raised.

Then please explain how this vBulletin forum was able to use 7 different characters to make the censored word come out as one of the forum smileys. The smiley code used was :yorkus: and the smiley image that resulted was a spinning green skull. Anyone tripping the autocensor on that forum got the spinning green skull instead of the prohibited word - a single image, mind, not multiple images.

On my own forum, I tested the word filter with the "f-word." The substitution I chose was <watermelon>. Then I tested this by typing a rather pithy sentence, to see what would happen, and it worked as intended. I got only a single <watermelon> instead of four.

Send me a PM about the discussion topics being nerfed and the problematic auto censor words.

Will do, thanks.

 

[Quintillus]

For what it's worth, I probably wouldn't have joined CFC when I did, and thus possibly at all, had CFC's swear word filter standard been what Apolyton OT's is currently. Parents see I'm spending a bit too much time on a game forum, not that big of a deal. But if it's full of vulgar words, even asterisked-out, the stakes are higher and possibly not worth it. Not to mention that I was more conservative myself then and would have found high amounts of swearing more off-putting than I do today (and past a certain point, it still can be off-putting). I'm sure there are other members who may not have joined had any and all language been permitted. So, largely I agree with Mise that it's worth the tradeoff.

I do see the point by Buster's Uncle that it might be nice if the preview gave a better alert in such cases. Given the current technical limitations, I think the current tradeoff makes sense. Were it possible to replace it by a space and give a warning to the poster when previewing, that would be the ideal, but it sounds like that would have to wait for a forum update that vBulletin itself may or may not have made.

 

[Buster's Uncle]

Hmmm. I can only point out that it's impossible to please everyone and pleasing the ones already in place has a value, too, which may not be being weighed heavily enough.

Long and bitter experience has taught me over and over that the secret of life is finding the best balance of things, and life/the world's far more complex than we'd rather believe, and finesse & perspective is not something we nerdz gravitate to or excel at, exactly, but need to work at, as does everyone.

I've been defending policy here -again, I really treasure those boy wonders I mentioned at my place- and am only trying to be helpful in raising an issue I happened to notice and suggest a better way within the limits of the software and policy. Me? I recall tripping the filter twice here ever, and wouldn't anticipate having a lot of trouble should nothing change - or swearing rickrolled everyone and resulted in a perma for Rick and I. I would hope that policy could live through maybe, I dunno, actual moderator good judgment about who's tripping a mystery underline too often. I think underlines is perfectly reasonable, a higher standard than other forums I've seen, would have been perfectly acceptable to the rigidly judgmental 14 year-old I used to be, and ultimately the wisest course.

 

[Petek]

Then please explain how this vBulletin forum was able to use 7 different characters to make the censored word come out as one of the forum smileys. The smiley code used was :yorkus: and the smiley image that resulted was a spinning green skull. Anyone tripping the autocensor on that forum got the spinning green skull instead of the prohibited word - a single image, mind, not multiple images.

On my own forum, I tested the word filter with the "f-word." The substitution I chose was <watermelon>. Then I tested this by typing a rather pithy sentence, to see what would happen, and it worked as intended. I got only a single <watermelon> instead of four.

I can't explain how other forums work around this issue. Perhaps more recent versions of vBulletin have this capability. vBulletin add-ons might make it possible. Does your own forum use vBulletin?

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I can't explain how other forums work around this issue. Perhaps more recent versions of vBulletin have this capability. vBulletin add-ons might make it possible. Does your own forum use vBulletin?

I'm not angry, Petek, just trying to understand this. The forum I'm referring to that used the skull smiley is one I belonged to many years ago. I haven't been part of that forum since 2006, so they were definitely not using a more advanced version of vBulletin than CFC's current version (at least I hope we're using something more current than 2006!).

I have several forums, all with various versions of Invision Power Board software. The one I tested yesterday is a ZetaBoards forum, which is one of the free types of Invision forum. I just tested another IPB forum and got the correct result there, as well.

My forums aren't using any add-ons or modifications; this is how the word filters normally work on all IPB forums.

But I do think that it couldn't hurt to consult the vBulletin support forum to see if anyone has found a way to work around this issue. Maybe that's what happened at that gaming forum from years ago.

The reason I got seriously concerned with things like word filters there was because I ran a weekly writing competition in the Arts & Literature forum and one of the contestants used the word "crap" in his story. I didn't know that word had been entered into the autocensor, and when it was posted, it was rendered as a large, spinning green skull. After contacting the author and finding out what word he'd intended to use - and realizing it was actually pretty mild - I asked the admins to remove it from the autocensor list. They thought it over and agreed.

So even though the word was four letters long, there was only one image that came up. The text used was 8 characters long, with 7 of those characters being different.

This is turning into a mystery...

 

[Buster's Uncle]

I have to say that I didn't figure out what words Valka had specifically referred to quickly, but she's right that both are perfectly inoffensive in some common contexts. I believe that I can freely mention actor Dick Van Dyke here, and note the obvious potential problem with use of the words of his first and last names in different contexts - but that's what mods are for, so wisely left out of the filter.

It strikes me that I appear to have changed my story between the OP and my last post - but both, in fact, are true at the same time. It's very irritating that the current setup has made something more difficult than necessary for a well-intentioned user trying to play by the rules, but not like I anticipate it coming up much, whatever happens. Public speech and a mother to embarrass and all. (Not that she'll see, but what would embarrass her too much if she did is my rule of thumb.)

A pedantic factual correction - actually, I moderated on vB software just last year, but didn't have access to any admin functions.

 

[Maniacal]

I quite like that it just removes the word entirely, I think it was actually a very good choice.

Although some of words that are censored are a bit silly or prudish, p*ssy willow is a legitimate word dangnamit!

 

[Lefty Scaevola]

We are reviewing, at a leisurely pace, the words on the censor list.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Thank you for the progress report.

I hope my PM was helpful in explaining why those two particular words might merit being removed from the list, at least on a trial basis.

 

[Buster's Uncle]

Amusingly, I have a member who had trouble saying the name of an actor in something she's fond of because of the way our filter works, and I recently PMed her and laid out all the invisible circumvention tricks I knew. A few days later, an exceptionally bright member stumbled over one of those tricks, and I just PMed him and did the same again, cautioning him to use good judgment.

When you know your people, that can be pretty safe.

 

[Hygro]

Thus, if I called you my dirty little ____________ in a post

Whatever happened to just calling someone a really cool guy?

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Amusingly, I have a member who had trouble saying the name of an actor in something she's fond of because of the way our filter works, and I recently PMed her and laid out all the invisible circumvention tricks I knew. A few days later, an exceptionally bright member stumbled over one of those tricks, and I just PMed him and did the same again, cautioning him to use good judgment.

When you know your people, that can be pretty safe.

Walter Koenig. Take that, SMF.

The way it works on IPB is that I can specify either loose or exact forms of a word to be filtered. So that means either choosing to filter the root word or all forms I could think of, depending on prefixes, suffixes, etc. The one thing I did realize early on, though, was to make sure that what was filtered didn't coincide with any of the smiley codes. We had a bit of a problem there, until we figured it out.

 

[Buster's Uncle]

The worst part is when people typpoe innocent gerunds - and then look racist...

We've had a lot of fun ragging t_ras about that.

Whatever happened to just calling someone a really cool guy?

I did. Couldn't you tell?

-You actually managed to make me check the post to be sure I hadn't typpoed "my"...

 

[Hammer Rabbi]

can a system be set up to replace all infractable words with the same word, something not related to the word length, but maybe a nonsense word like 'blippityboop' for 3-letter words up to 12-letter words (or whatever)? (other forums use a system sort of like that, just not with a nonsensical word.) this would be obvious and noticeable in most posts that arent multiple paragraphs/walls of text. so if it was innocent typos you can fix that. and if it wasnt innocent, they would then realize that word isn't legal here and hopefully use another. the ability to interpret thru context might be less of an issue for kids, though any kid who reads "you can go yourself" are probably savvy enough to know which word is missing still. but "Hey, you blippityboop, why'd you ...." would be much harder to know specifically which insult is being tossed out there.

people will always get around these filters but then its a waiting game for a complaint for a mod to intervene/infract. but this would hopefully not increase the amount of infractions needed while letting the typos get corrected. im not familiar with censor systems youve got here but its just an idea.

 

[Buster's Uncle]

Petek explained earlier in the thread that the forum software would insist on making it "blippityboopblippityboopblippityboopblippityboop" for a four-letter word using your suggestion - that's the only reason I've shut up about using the underline character instead of annoyingly disappearing forbidden terms.

Edit: Why is that space inserted in my quote? It's not there when I try to fix...

 

[Hammer Rabbi]

oh, ok. thanks. some forums have code that allow for word replace systems. im very unfamiliar with the capabilities of the different kinds of code though.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Petek explained earlier in the thread that the forum software would insist on making it "blippityboopblippityboopblippityboopblippityboop" for a four-letter word using your suggestion - that's the only reason I've shut up about using the underline character instead of annoyingly disappearing forbidden terms.

Edit: Why is that space inserted in my quote? It's not there when I try to fix...

There's a limit of how many consecutive letters/characters you can type in the same word. The forum software inserts a space regardless of whether it makes any sense (ie. in the middle of a syllable) and unlike the word filter there's no indication of a problem in the field where you type or edit your post.

 

[Buster's Uncle]

Thanks.

oh, ok. thanks. some forums have code that allow for word replace systems. im very unfamiliar with the capabilities of the different kinds of code though.

Yeah - the swear filter, on the SMF software my forum uses, sux pretty bad, but I can (and did) use a different substitution for each forbidden term, thus my bracketed translations comedy - Uno said just the other day that he sometimes trips on purpose because they make him smile. (I know the management here thinks that's counter-productive, but different strokes and all, and that's why I want CFC healthy, to provide 4x TBS gamers a selection of styles/cultures/atmospheres.)

vBulletin forum software, like here, is better in a lot of ways, but not so much with the flexibility on the filter.