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Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’

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Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’

#171

Post by vernie »

manigandham wrote: post #105
cmdshiftf4 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I find it hard to imagine that it's the drivers calling themselves Dick Cummings out of immaturity. So what does it really matter what the customers call themselves? That was my thought too. It's one thing if you're using obscenity in an anonymous online alias, as a great many Redditors seem to love doing, but I'm struggling to believe that it's something people do in signing up for real-life ride-sharing apps, eith…

> " Obviously there must be some amount of people doing it " There's no data that this is true. It could simply be a project manager deciding that it's a good thing or the result of a tiny fraction of complaints.

Complaints about what

Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’

#172

Post by Thorrez »

DaiPlusPlus wrote: post #153
zulln wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Drivers? Cannot imagine it being a big problem people having really offensive names though, after all you are actually meeting the driver irl and expect them to.. well, drive you.

Drivers have to go the in-personal approval thing first though, and they'd present their driver's license that would have their name on it - so the Lyft/Uber/etc employee who approves their driver status would presumably also verify that their name is real.

zulln isn't saying drivers are spoofing their names. zulln is saying drivers are being harmed by riders spoofing their names.

Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’

#173

Post by Haga »

danso wrote: post #16

Besides the humor of how Lyft's filter flagged traditionally Caucasian names like "Cummings" – in addition to the usual issues with non-Western names, e.g. Pimpong and Poon – I'm fascinated/confused how this made it into production? The user database already exists and was currently being used by the live application. Before deploying this new filter onto the production database, wouldn't you do a dry run to get not…

This seems something pushed upon engineering by the social engineering department. Somebody got it in writing they should go life for a beta World and decided to hang the deciding party out to dry. Not very nice but a good way to reverse power dynamics and get emotional driven individuals to think.

Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’

#174

Post by joostdecock »

This sort of thing happens to me all the time. (Bad) Spam filters are a big problem too. And how do you even try to fix this?

I ended up taking my name off (the emails and website) of an open source project I maintain just to please the spam filters: https://twitter.com/j__st/status/1210559583934189568?s=19

I can appreciate the funny side of it, but it's also profoundly saddening somehow. I was born with this name, what do you expect me to do?

Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’

#175

Post by jrockway »

dilap wrote: post #168
danso wrote: post #16

Besides the humor of how Lyft's filter flagged traditionally Caucasian names like "Cummings" – in addition to the usual issues with non-Western names, e.g. Pimpong and Poon – I'm fascinated/confused how this made it into production? The user database already exists and was currently being used by the live application. Before deploying this new filter onto the production database, wouldn't you do a dry run to get not…

Why even try to catch “naughty” names. Why do I even need to give Lyft a name in the first place? It just seems like such a made-up problem.

I think you and the driver are supposed to exchange names. This is probably awkward when you name yourself "suck my balls" or something, which people undoubtedly do because people are terrible.

The Simpsons figured this out decades ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1EjcWU6sEk

Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’

#176

Post by kstenerud »

This is what happens whenever someone decides that they have enough expertise in something they don't.

We see the same phenomena with encryption, authentication, and password security. People just tend to have a myopic understanding of the topic and vastly overestimate their ability in something they've barely even studied, which is the worst kind of ignorance. And they very much deserve to be named and shamed when they inevitably screw it up.

When dealing with names & addresses, consult an expert.

Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’

#177

Post by Thorrez »

AdrianB1 wrote: post #66
copperx wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Polite language is secular. Where do you get this religious connotation from?

Forbidding a name like Cummings because it is not "polite" is neither secular or logical. Also in non-Catholic Christian countries sex and nudity are not a big deal (example: Germany), so you are partially right: not a Christian connotation, just particular forms of it.

> Forbidding a name like Cummings because it is not "polite" is neither secular or logical.

How do you know it's not secular? Are you sure the people who made the decision at Lyft were religious, or did it for religious reasons?

Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’

#178

Post by chrisseaton »

jrockway wrote: post #175
dilap wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why even try to catch “naughty” names. Why do I even need to give Lyft a name in the first place? It just seems like such a made-up problem.

I think you and the driver are supposed to exchange names. This is probably awkward when you name yourself "suck my balls" or something, which people undoubtedly do because people are terrible. The Simpsons figured this out decades ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1EjcWU6sEk

> I think you and the driver are supposed to exchange names.

What for?

And how does any other environment where people introduce themselves to each other fix this? I don't think they see it as a problem in practice.

Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’

#179

Post by Razengan »

kstenerud wrote: post #176

This is what happens whenever someone decides that they have enough expertise in something they don't. We see the same phenomena with encryption, authentication, and password security. People just tend to have a myopic understanding of the topic and vastly overestimate their ability in something they've barely even studied, which is the worst kind of ignorance. And they very much deserve to be named and shamed when t…

> When dealing with names & addresses, consult an expert.

And phone numbers, and dates.

Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’

#180

Post by Thorrez »

vernie wrote: post #170
rubyn00bie wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A bit of a tangent but you reminded me-- and maybe, I'm totally full of shit or like my memory is wrong, but the iPhone predicting profanity was my favorite feature. For YEARS it would never write "duck" instead of "fuck," and generally was great, but then (and this is the like maybe I'm totally wrong part) after Jobs passed away that stopped completely... and now I get this bullshit I have to fucking correct all the…

Jobs had quite the puritanical streak when it came to his products.

That seems to contradict what rubyn00bie said. Or are you using puritanical to mean something else?
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