"xxx" used to block competitors names?

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  • Bob's Garage
    Senior Member
    • Nov 2007
    • 3257

    "xxx" used to block competitors names?


    I have noticed that Snap-on blocks competitors names with "xxx". I this post I had mentioned iATN & Identifix:

    20140705-0906-1.jpg

    Seems like Snap-on doesn't want the competitors names displayed, but why?

    It can't be because they want to hide the fact there other sites out there?

    They don't believe that we aren't aware there are other "help sites" do they?

    Could it be a liability issue? If so how? I see Snap-on mentioned regularly on iATN & Identifix.

    Thanks, Bob
  • Bob's Garage
    Senior Member
    • Nov 2007
    • 3257

    #2
    Censoring


    Edited a post and added these words:

    20140705-0933-1.jpg


    SureTrack changed them to this:

    20140705-0936-1.jpg

    So, there must be just a censoring of other sites. Other scanner companies don't get the censoring.

    Comment

    • Witsend
      Banned
      • Nov 2012
      • 2942

      #3
      You can often fool recognition software, by adding asterisks or dashes between the letters, substituting words for numerals , etc. If I wanted to type @sshole it may slip through where if I type asshole it might substitute -------. for what I typed.
      Spammers on Craigslist have number recognition software that can sift through hundreds of postings and harvest all the phone numbers out of the posts to send junk text and toll free # calling.
      When posting ads there I never type my phone number in contact information spot for posting the ad. But I do put my land line phone number in all my ads but as a combination of letters and words, that I mix up the words and numbers to lessen the chance of number harvesting and having an Elusive Rogue @sshole out there from flagging all your ads by a search of a phone number .
      Eventually as word Recognition software becomes more sophisticated misspelled wording won't be tolerated any longer and and spell check prompt choices will prompt you to enter one of the choices before you can proceed . If someone's teenage son was wearing a pair of baggy pants with his boxers showing and Someone typed He was Saggin , a sophisticated recognition software might block the phrase of that harmless word because of what it can also read backwards could be offensive .Don't even think about sneaking something in in Pig Latin either:-)
      Last edited by Witsend; 07-05-2014, 12:25 PM.

      Comment

      • Nick_Taylor
        Administrator
        • Jan 2014
        • 381

        #4
        Yes, there is some censoring going on there. Wouldn't be my choice to do it but in a corporate world things like this happen. In the OnDemand/ShopKey tip system, we would replace offensive words with **** but not competitors names. We did flag posts that used competitors names so that I could check the posts to see what was being said. If someone said "Mitchell sucks, use Alldata", I would remove the post. I typically could not help a user like that. They'd drop the bomb and run and even if I asked how we could help them, they wouldn't come back anyway.

        Now if they said we sucked and gave the reason, I could try to help them and also try to improve the product. Many users appreciate the approach.

        As I'm new to administrating SureTrack, I wasn't there to help make these decisions. I'd rather be open with users and let them say whatever they wanted (within reason). Of course that can get me into trouble.
        SureTrack Community Administrator, Diagnostics forum Administrator.

        Comment

        • Crusty
          Senior Member
          • Dec 2007
          • 2450

          #5
          I think Johan Guttenberg and Mark Twain would be appalled at the "Spell Check" and "Auto Correct" so called "FEATURES" .
          The moveable type printing press was developed around the same time as the Lutheran Reformation and the "twists" the author used and things like the intentional mis-spelling of words and phrases can be very effective at diseminating ideas.

          I "understand" Corporate censoring but I don't condone it. In fact it's a very ignorant and arrogant attitude to take.
          Motologic, Identafix, Dtips, iATN, and all the others are actually helped when the corporate Ivory Tower attempts to hide or remove their names.
          It tells a reader that their product isn't capable of measuring up to the competition and the corporation attempting to hide or remove a competitors name either has something to hide or is afraid of someone or something.

          There are sensibilities that make SOME CENSORSHIP a good thing but if a corporation is going to do so they themselves should practice full disclosure and tell the reader WHY they have censored another name or phrase.

          Comment

          • Nick_Taylor
            Administrator
            • Jan 2014
            • 381

            #6
            I've submitted a request to get the blacklist updated to remove the competitors names and a few other words that are commonly used in the trade. Some of them can be offensive if used in the wrong context and I would like to request that if you see someone abusing the system by using the words in an offensive way that you will report the posts using the Report Abuse link in them.

            I don't have a date for when the blacklist will be updated but wanted to let you know that I was working on it.
            SureTrack Community Administrator, Diagnostics forum Administrator.

            Comment

            • Nick_Taylor
              Administrator
              • Jan 2014
              • 381

              #7
              Here's an update on this. I finally got the blacklist updated to remove the competitor's names as well as other terms that are automotive terms but can be used as slurs in other contexts. I even removed some words that can be offensive but are common jargon in the shop, such as the word "****".

              This actually got updated over a month ago but I neglected updating this thread on the forum.
              SureTrack Community Administrator, Diagnostics forum Administrator.

              Comment

              • liljoe
                Member
                • Nov 2014
                • 73

                #8
                Originally posted by Nick_Taylor
                . I even removed some words that can be offensive but are common jargon in the shop, such as the word "****".
                .

                Now I need to know what word "****" is.....

                Comment

                • Nick_Taylor
                  Administrator
                  • Jan 2014
                  • 381

                  #9
                  Ha, obviously I don't have control over that on this forum! The word was c r a p.
                  SureTrack Community Administrator, Diagnostics forum Administrator.

                  Comment

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