Scunthorpe Problem
Encyclopedia
The Scunthorpe problem occurs when a spam filter or search engine
blocks e-mail
s or search results because their text contains a string
of letters that are shared with an obscene
word. While computers can easily identify strings of text within a document, broad blocking rules may result in false positives, causing innocent phrases to be blocked.
's dirty-word filter prevented residents of the town of Scunthorpe
, North Lincolnshire
, England from creating accounts with AOL, because the town's name contains the substring
cunt
. Years later, Google
's filters apparently made the same mistake, preventing residents from searching for local businesses that included Scunthorpe in their names.
Search engine
A search engine is an information retrieval system designed to help find information stored on a computer system. The search results are usually presented in a list and are commonly called hits. Search engines help to minimize the time required to find information and the amount of information...
blocks e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
s or search results because their text contains a string
String (computer science)
In formal languages, which are used in mathematical logic and theoretical computer science, a string is a finite sequence of symbols that are chosen from a set or alphabet....
of letters that are shared with an obscene
Obscenity
An obscenity is any statement or act which strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time, is a profanity, or is otherwise taboo, indecent, abhorrent, or disgusting, or is especially inauspicious...
word. While computers can easily identify strings of text within a document, broad blocking rules may result in false positives, causing innocent phrases to be blocked.
Origin and history
The problem was named after an incident in 1996 in which AOLAOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
's dirty-word filter prevented residents of the town of Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe is a town within North Lincolnshire, England. It is the administrative centre of the North Lincolnshire unitary authority, and had an estimated total resident population of 72,514 in 2010. A predominantly industrial town, Scunthorpe, the United Kingdom's largest steel processing centre,...
, North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area in the region of Yorkshire and the Humber in England. For ceremonial purposes it is part of Lincolnshire....
, England from creating accounts with AOL, because the town's name contains the substring
Substring
A subsequence, substring, prefix or suffix of a string is a subset of the symbols in a string, where the order of the elements is preserved...
cunt
Cunt
Cunt is a vulgarism, primarily referring to the female genitalia, specifically the vulva, and including the cleft of Venus. The earliest citation of this usage in the 1972 Oxford English Dictionary, c 1230, refers to the London street known as Gropecunt Lane...
. Years later, Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
's filters apparently made the same mistake, preventing residents from searching for local businesses that included Scunthorpe in their names.
- Residents of PenistonePenistonePenistone is a small town market town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, in South Yorkshire, England, with a population of 10,101 at the 2001 census. It lies west of the town of Barnsley and north east of Glossop, in the foothills of the Pennines...
, South YorkshireSouth YorkshireSouth Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, experienced problems because the town's name includes the substring penisPenisThe penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...
. - LightwaterLightwaterLightwater is a village in the Surrey Heath district of Surrey, England about to the south-west of London. Immediately surrounding towns and villages include Bagshot, Deepcut, Windlesham, Camberley, and West End. The village is bounded to the north west by the M3 and to the north east by the...
in SurreySurreySurrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
suffered similarly because its name contains the substring twatTwatThe word twat has various functions. It is a vulgar synonym for the human vulva, but is more widely used as a derogatory epithet, especially in British English...
. - Residents of ClitheroeClitheroeClitheroe is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is 1½ miles from the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. It has a population of 14,697...
(LancashireLancashireLancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England) have been repeatedly inconvenienced because their town's name includes the substring clitClitClit is a colloquial abbreviation for clitoris.Clit or Cliţ can also refer to:* Clit River, Romania* Clit, a village in Hăşmaş Commune, Arad County, Romania* Cliţ, a village in Băbeni Commune, Sălaj County, Romania...
, which (among other meanings) is a slang for "clitorisClitorisThe clitoris is a sexual organ that is present only in female mammals. In humans, the visible button-like portion is located near the anterior junction of the labia minora, above the opening of the urethra and vagina. Unlike the penis, which is homologous to the clitoris, the clitoris does not...
".
Refused web domain names and email addresses
- In April 1998, Jeff Gold attempted to register the domain nameDomain nameA domain name is an identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control in the Internet. Domain names are formed by the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System ....
shitakemushrooms.com, but was blocked by an InterNICInterNICThe Internet Network Information Center, known as InterNIC, was the Internet governing body primarily responsible for domain name and IP address allocations from 1972 until September 18, 1998 when this role was assumed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers...
filter prohibiting the "seven dirty wordsSeven dirty wordsThe seven dirty words are seven English language words that American comedian George Carlin first listed in 1972 in his monologue "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television". The words include: shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, and tits...
" which was active between 1996 and the transfer of control to ICANNICANNThe Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is a non-profit corporation headquartered in Marina del Rey, California, United States, that was created on September 18, 1998, and incorporated on September 30, 1998 to oversee a number of Internet-related tasks previously performed directly...
. (ShitakeShiitakeThe Shiitake is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed in many Asian countries, as well as being dried and exported to many countries around the world. It is a feature of many Asian cuisines including Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai...
is from the Japanese name for the edible fungus Lentinula edodes.) - In February 2004, in Scotland, Craig Cockburn reported that he was unable to use his surname with HotmailHotmailWindows Live Hotmail, formerly known as MSN Hotmail and commonly referred to simply as Hotmail, is a free web-based email service operated by Microsoft as part of its Windows Live group. It was founded by Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith and launched in July 1996 as "HoTMaiL". It was one of the first...
. Separately he had problems with his workplace email due to the string cialis within his job title of software specialist. He was told by Hotmail to spell his name C0ckburn (with a zero instead of the letter "o"); Hotmail later reversed the ban. In 2010 he had a similar problem registering on the BBC site where again the first four characters of his surname caused a problem for the content filter. - In February 2006, Linda Callahan, a resident of AshfieldAshfield, MassachusettsAshfield is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,737 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
was initially prevented from registering her name with Yahoo!Yahoo!Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
as an e-mail address as it contained the substring AllahAllahAllah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
. Yahoo! later reversed the ban. - In July 2008, Dr. Herman I. Libshitz was initially unable to get the e-mail address he wanted from Verizon because it contained the substring shit. A spokesperson commented: "As a general rule (since 2005) Verizon doesn't allow questionable language in e-mail addresses, but we can, and do, make exceptions based on reasonable requests. The one from Dr. and Mrs. Libshitz certainly is reasonable and we regret the inconvenience and frustration they've been caused."
- In 2000, a Canadian television news story on web filtering software found that the website for the Montreal Urban CommunityMontreal Urban CommunityThe Montreal Urban Community was a regional government that covered all municipalities that later merged into the megacity of Montreal.- History :...
(Communauté urbaine de Montréal, in French) was entirely blocked because its domain name was its French acronym CUM (www.cum.qc.ca); "cumCumCum may refer to:*A Latin word, which can be either the preposition with or a conjunction meaning when, because, or although....
" (among other meanings) is slang for "semenSemenSemen is an organic fluid, also known as seminal fluid, that may contain spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads and other sexual organs of male or hermaphroditic animals and can fertilize female ova...
".
Blocked web searches
- The filter of the free wireless service of the town of WhakataneWhakataneWhakatane is a town in the eastern Bay of Plenty Region, in the North Island of New Zealand, and is the seat of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Whakatane is 90 km east of Tauranga and 89 km north-east of Rotorua, at the mouth of the Whakatane River.The town has a population of , with...
in New Zealand blocked searches involving the town's own name, because the phonetic analysisPhonetic algorithmA phonetic algorithm is an algorithm for indexing of words by their pronunciation. Most phonetic algorithms were developed for use with the English language; consequently, applying the rules to words in other languages might not give a meaningful result....
used by the filter deemed the "whak" to sound like fuck. - Gareth Roelofse, the designer of the website http://RomansInSussex.co.uk, noted: "We found many library Net stations, school networks and Internet cafes block sites with the word 'sex' in the domain name. This was a challenge for RomansInSussex.co.uk because its target audience is school children."
- In July 2011, web searches in China on the name JiangJiang (surname)Jiang can be a pinyin transliteration of one of several Chinese surnames:#蔣 or 蒋 , Jiǎng #姜, Jiāng , Kang...
were blocked following claims on the Sina WeiboSina WeiboSina Weibo is a Chinese microblogging website. Akin to a hybrid of Twitter and Facebook, it is one of the most popular sites in China, in use by well over 30% of Internet users, with a similar market penetration that Twitter has established in the USA...
microblogging site that former president Jiang ZeminJiang ZeminJiang Zemin is a former Chinese politician, who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1989 to 2002, as President of the People's Republic of China from 1993 to 2003, and as Chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2005...
had died. Since the word "Jiang" also means "river" in Chinese, searches related to rivers including the Yangtze (Cháng Jiāng) produced the message "According to the relevant laws, regulations and policies, the results of this search cannot be displayed."
Blocked emails
- In October 2004, it was reported that the Horniman MuseumHorniman MuseumThe Horniman Museum is a museum in Forest Hill, South London, England. Commissioned in 1898, it opened in 1901 and was designed by Charles Harrison Townsend in the Arts and Crafts style....
in London was failing to receive some of its e-mail due to filters mistakenly deciding that its name was a version of the words horny man. - Problems can occur with the words socialismSocialismSocialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
, socialist, and specialist because they contain the substring Cialis, the brand name for an erectile dysfunctionErectile dysfunctionErectile dysfunction is sexual dysfunction characterized by the inability to develop or maintain an erection of the penis during sexual performance....
medication commonly advertised in spamSpam (electronic)Spam is the use of electronic messaging systems to send unsolicited bulk messages indiscriminately...
e-mails. Blocking of the word specialist is liable to block emailed resumeRésuméA résumé is a document used by individuals to present their background and skillsets. Résumés can be used for a variety of reasons but most often to secure new employment. A typical résumé contains a summary of relevant job experience and education...
s and curricula vitarum and other material including job descriptions. - In the UK, the ISP Orange blocks the word Scunthorpe in email subjects.
Blocked for word with two meanings
- In May 2006, Ray Kennedy from ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
in the UK found that e-mails that he had written to his local council to complain about a planning application had been blocked as they contained the word erectionErectionPenile erection is a physiological phenomenon where the penis becomes enlarged and firm. Penile erection is the result of a complex interaction of psychological, neural, vascular and endocrine factors, and is usually, though not exclusively, associated with sexual arousal...
when referring to a structure. - In October 2004, e-mails advertising the pantomimePantomimePantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
Dick Whittington sent by a teacher from NorwichNorwichNorwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
in the UK were blocked by school computers due to the use of the word DickDick-Names:* Dick * Dicks * List of people with surname Dick* A nickname for people named Richard-Other:* Democratic Indira Congress , a political party* Dick , a 1999 American comedy...
, sometimes used as slang for penisPenisThe penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...
. - In February 2003, members of Parliament at the British House of CommonsBritish House of CommonsThe House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
found that a new spam filter was blocking e-mails to them. It blocked e-mails containing references to the Sexual Offences Bill then under debate, and some messages relating to a Liberal DemocratLiberal DemocratsThe Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
consultation paper on censorshipCensorshipthumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
. It also blocked e-mails sent in Welsh because it did not recognise the language. - Resumes of magna cum laude graduates have been blocked by spam filters due to inclusion of the word cumCumCum may refer to:*A Latin word, which can be either the preposition with or a conjunction meaning when, because, or although....
, which here is Latin for with but in English is sometimes used as slang for semenSemenSemen is an organic fluid, also known as seminal fluid, that may contain spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads and other sexual organs of male or hermaphroditic animals and can fertilize female ova...
. - Blocked e-mails and web searches relating to The BeaverThe Beaver (magazine)Canada's History is the official magazine of Canada's National History Society. It is published six times a year, and aims to promote interest in and knowledge of Canadian history. Founded in 1920 as The Beaver by the Hudson's Bay Company , the magazine was acquired by the Society in 1994...
(based in WinnipegWinnipegWinnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
) caused the publisher to change its name to Canada's History after 89 years of publication. Deborah Morrison, publisher of the magazine, commented: "Back in 1920, The Beaver was a perfectly appropriate name. And while its other meaning is nothing new, its ambiguity began to pose a whole new challenge with the advance of the Internet. The name became an impediment to our growth." - A councillor in DudleyDudleyDudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
found an email flagged for profanity by his council's security software after mentioning the Black CountryBlack CountryThe Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...
dish faggotsFaggot (food)Faggots are a traditional dish in the UK, especially South and Mid Wales and the Midlands of England. It is made from meat off-cuts and offal, especially pork. A faggot is traditionally made from pig's heart, liver and fatty belly meat or bacon minced together, with herbs added for flavouring and...
News articles damaged
- In June 2008, a news site run by the American Family AssociationAmerican Family AssociationThe American Family Association is a 501 non-profit organization that promotes conservative Christian values, such as opposition to same-sex marriage, pornography, and abortion, as well as other public policy goals such as deregulation of the oil industry and lobbying against the Employee Free...
censored an Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
article on sprinter Tyson GayTyson GayTyson Gay is an American track and field sprinter. His primary events are the 100 meters and 200 meters. His personal bests establish him as the second fastest athlete in the 100 meters and the fifth fastest athlete in the history of the 200 meters, with times of 9.69 and...
, replacing instances of "gay" with homosexual, thus rendering his name as "Tyson Homosexual". - The word "ass" may be replaced by "butt", resulting in "clbuttic" for "classic" and "buttbuttinate" for "assassinate".
See also
- Censorship by Google
- Cupertino effectCupertino effectThe Cupertino effect is the tendency of a spell checker to suggest or autocorrect inappropriate words to replace misspelled words and words not in its dictionary....
- Detecting spam
- MedireviewMedireviewMedireview was an erroneous correction of the word medieval in Yahoo! Mail in 2001.In 2001, Yahoo! introduced an email filter which automatically replaced Javascript-related strings with alternate versions, to prevent the possibility of JavaScript viruses in HTML email...
– arose as a false automatic euphemism for "medieval" - Swear filterSwear filterA swear filter, also known as a profanity filter or language filter is a software subsystem which modifies text to remove words deemed offensive by the administrator or community of an online forum. Swear filters are common in custom-programmed chat rooms and online video games, primarily MMORPGs...
External links
- Article on autocorrecting from The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...