Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’
1–10 of 307 posts
Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’
#2The good old Scunthorpe problem. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scunthorpe_problem
Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’
#3How do they not realize what an obvious shitstorm this will cause?
And who is bothered by this, really?
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?
Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’
#4My last name “Hung” was blocked by Apple’s Genius Bar at one point when they displayed the names queue on the digital board. They don’t like certain methods of Chinese romanization (particularly the one used in Taiwan).
Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’
#5Patio11 has a good post about this topic from 10 years ago. https://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/06/17/falsehoods-programmers-...
As a programmer, it's difficult how little of the world follows consistent "rules" that you need to build straightforward conditional logic.
Really, the only surprising thing is that Lyft didn't cross this bridge years ago.
Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’
#6It seems like tech companies have been doing DIY profanity filters. Apple has a profanity filter for engraving text onto a device in the online store (https://twitter.com/minimaxir/status/1213188371452841984 ); intended to be your name, so terms like "Dick" have to not be filtered.
I learnt that Apple has a validation endpoint. Since the engraving service was recently updated, I took a profanity wordlist and checked it against the endpoint just for fun. The results are...counterintuitive: https://pastebin.com/mzpECiQw (NSFW language, obviously)
Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’
#7Bit of a dick move
Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’
#8I got randomly "banned" from nexus mods two months ago because they forced a password change, which wouldn't proceed because it said my name wasn't allowed. Apparently having "fucker" in your name is against the community guidelines for a website which lets you download adult content such as hyperviolent and hypersexual game mods. I've also had this account for almost a decade. I ended up getting in quite a spat with customer support until they stopped responding.
I expect I will be receiving a similar notification from Lyft soon as the email address I am registered with definitely has a name which would incorrectly trigger this algorithm.
Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’
#9How do they not realize what an obvious shitstorm this will cause? And who is bothered by this, really? 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?
From my experience building filters, this is one of the most frustrating tasks in software development, because getting it right is thankless and highly contextual, and if you get it wrong, the results are obvious.
Edit: Actually, it's worse bc if you get it wrong you open up your employer to getting called out for cultural insensitivity.
Re: Lyft’s algorithm is trying to block people with names like ‘Dick’ and ‘Cummings’
#10A german user was banned on Twitter for writing "Die Boomer" = "the boomers"
https://www.dw.com/en/german-grammar-in-ok-boomer-tweet-gets...
Also my all time favorite when Facebook banned people posting about faggots which is a traditional food in the UK Midlands
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/10419598/Man...