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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’

#191

Post by brabel »

qwerty456127 wrote: post #122
finnthehuman wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why wouldn't they? "Shooter" is a word that's acceptable to use in almost any company, even though the verb at it's root part of some abhorrent acts. "Fuck" is a distasteful word for an act with near-universal approval.

> "Fuck" is a distasteful word for an act with near-universal approval. Near-universal approval and near-universal distaste. A curious phenomenon, isn't it?

Everyone shits, but "shit" is still considered a bad word because of its material properties. Fuck, on the other hand, is something everyone loves doing, except when done by force... I guess the reason it's still seen as a bad word rather than a "love word" (besides old religious believes that sex is actually intrinsically bad, which some people might still hold) is that "fuck" is unconsciously associated with forced sex (rape, to be clear) while consensual sex is associated with other words/phrases like "make love", "intercourse" etc. which do not have the same bad connotation.

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

#192

Post by robjan »

zulln wrote: post #89
xxxtentachyon wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or just not filter names on an app like Lyft. You can't even see other users' names. Who is potentially being harmed by even a malicious Professor Fuck?

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.

If the drivers are harmed, why not just allow people to use their name regardless of offensiveness and then just display it to drivers as "Professor F*". Sure, it's not ideal but it prevents people arbitrarily being kicked off the system and from drivers being offended by their passengers' names.

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

#193

Post by GrantZvolsky »

saagarjha wrote: post #151
GrantZvolsky wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That guy's so used to services failing him that he doesn't use his real name unless necessary.

…which of course is a valid reason to deny him access from your service, too.

My point was not to defend the blacklisting of expletives. I remember a CS prof giving us dozens of legitimate uses, including people with Scunthorpe domain email not having their mail delivered. My point was that Mr Fucks is not as helpless as he seems and probably spells his name Fuchs when entering his name into a computer because he can't tell which system is poorly designed and which is not.

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

#194

Post by josefx »

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

The Simpsons gag however would bypass the naughty word filter completely. The name Bart uses is "Mike" last name "Rotch" Moe just ends up pronouncing it as "My Crotch".

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

#195

Post by dschuetz »

There must be some very smart people behind Lyft making decisions, as if they have never met a person named "Cummings" or "Dick". I'm astonished by this. I mean, those people have degrees in CS and software engineering. What were they thinking? I suspect that they chose the easy solution, not the smart solution. In that case, because the "Community Guidelines" and the filtering system disrupt business operation, I would fire everyone involved and replace them with smart people.

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

#197

Post by progval »

js2 wrote: post #162

"Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Names": https://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/06/17/falsehoods-programmers-... Discussed most recently just 63 days ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21492464

Poor Mr Graham-Cumming. Both an hyphen and a word banned by Lyft.

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

#198

Post by brabel »

blindgeek wrote: post #132

A few years back, Facebook and others were banning People with the name Isis. Anyone with more than two brain cells who had spent some time studying the humanities would not have made that mistake. I'd think that people who write code and design algorithms would at least be aware of the concept of overloading, too.

Wow, that's ridiculous! Isis is a common name in many countries! https://www.behindthename.com/name/isis

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

#199

Post by keiferski »

qwerty456127 wrote: post #49
vxxzy wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How does this directly relate to “Christian” values? Could “Islamic” values be applied? Afterall, the Prophet Mohammed made his opposition to crude language clear in the Hadith. Follow up: Also appears there are some misgiving regarding crude language within the Hindu religion as well. [0] [0]: https://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?...

Ok, let's call that puritan values of abrahamic religions.

Interestingly, 'vulgarity' as a concept is more universal than you would think. Certain concepts in traditional Japanese aesthetics, for example, emphasize an avoidance of vulgar behaviors, which are not too dissimilar from the western counterpart. It mostly has to do with avoiding (perceived) unrefined behaviors of the lower classes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miyabi

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

#200

Post by feanaro »

zulln wrote: post #89
xxxtentachyon wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or just not filter names on an app like Lyft. You can't even see other users' names. Who is potentially being harmed by even a malicious Professor Fuck?

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.

Or, perhaps people just shouldn't be offended by names. There are more important things in life.
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