Roger ([info]rogerpittman) wrote in [info]ljspeaks,
@ 2008-03-17 15:38:00
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Entry tags:banned interests

LJ is no longer filtering most popular interests, it seems
The most recent entry in LJ's Changelog community (referenced here), indicates that changes have been made to LiveJournal's Most Popular Interests list. Some of the terms that were previously filtered out (including sex, faeries, and bisexuality) have now been reinstated.


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[info]crowdog66
2008-03-17 09:54 pm UTC (link)
It's a good start, but it still begs the question of why they were filtering those specific interests in the first place. Programs like that don't pop up out of nowhere.

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[info]rogerpittman
2008-03-17 10:10 pm UTC (link)
No,they don't. [info]marta has entered the discussion here, claiming the filter was a 'mistake' (in her words).

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[info]winterthunder
2008-03-17 10:14 pm UTC (link)
Translation: "Oh shit, they noticed."

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[info]rogerpittman
2008-03-17 10:16 pm UTC (link)
I wouldn't have noticed myself if I hadn't noticed the entry in [info]changelog and compared the latest version of LJ's Most Popular Interests page. Marta is claiming it was a mistake, but so far no one is buying it.

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[info]crowdog66
2008-03-17 10:15 pm UTC (link)
Yes, I saw that. And to say that I am utterly unconvinced is an understatement.

Unless, of course, by "mistake" they mean "a rogue programmer who has been sacked, tarred, feathered, and ridden out of town on a rail inserted the code".

That's the only explanation that I'd buy at this point.

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[info]rogerpittman
2008-03-17 10:17 pm UTC (link)
"a rogue programmer who has been sacked, tarred, feathered, and ridden out of town on a rail inserted the code".

We can only hope...

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[info]crowdog66
2008-03-17 10:25 pm UTC (link)
Heh.

There is the possibility that it WAS a mistake in the sense that the code they inserted didn't do what they intended it to do. Still, not to issue an immediate statement to their users explaining the situation is just plain silly on their part, considering how incensed many people have become over this issue.

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[info]madfilkentist
2008-03-18 12:59 am UTC (link)
LJ continues to filter interest searches based on substrings, but periodically yields on specific interests when enough pressure is brought to bear. You can now search interests for "raccoons" and "maine coon cats," which you couldn't do a while ago, but you can't search for "fagin" or "pedagogy."

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[info]hawaii5063
2008-03-18 01:26 am UTC (link)
So we are all free to write about fanfiction sex between bisexual faeries again?

LJ better get their act together before someone invents a way to move your flist from one place to another without having everyone change themselves. If IJ ever figures that out many people will write LJ off.

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[info]tallblue
2008-03-18 02:11 am UTC (link)
I thought sixapart added the filter code, and that SUP either would not or could not discuss it with the public and userbase.

I am assuming if they a contract with sixapart that the talk about the filter was prohibited by that contract (which is my guess) so we know for sure that the blocking of interest search words was started by sixapart (because of WFI), now the adding of the NEW WORDS was done by SUP/LJInc.

So I think they have to somehow admit SixApart put in the code and that later on SUP/LJInc added the new words, now they removed the filer because of the people protesting because of discrimination.

I am assuming they removed the filter all together?

Edited at 2008-03-18 02:13 am UTC

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[info]rogerpittman
2008-03-18 02:25 am UTC (link)
That's my understanding, from looking at the new Most Popular Interests list. Words such as fanfiction, sex and bisexuality are now present, where they were not there 24 hours ago.

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[info]madfilkentist
2008-03-18 09:53 am UTC (link)
Really, I am not a sock puppet giving false information. Search in interests for "pedagogy" or "fagin" yourself if you think my claim that they're still being filtered was a lie.

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[info]emarkienna
2008-03-18 11:00 am UTC (link)
As [info]janinedog says, this post is about the removal of terms from the popular interests lists.

The original controversy doesn't appear to have been publicised here or anywhere much elsewhere which is probably why there's confusion, but you can read about it at http://stewardess.insanejournal.com/228245.html (also see the previous post in this community).

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[info]janinedog
2008-03-18 03:23 am UTC (link)
I think you're confusing this issue (removing specific interests from the most popular interest list) with the previous interest-related issue (prohibiting searches for specific interests). Even though certain search terms were no longer on the popular interests list, they could still be searched for.

The filtering of the most popular interests list is what was just removed; the prohibiting of certain interest searches still exists.

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[info]tsukinofaerii
2008-03-18 03:02 am UTC (link)
I have a horrible feeling that this is some combination of bad judgment and less-than-stellar coding. It seems like that kind of mess up. *sigh* I'm not surprised that we haven't hear anything announced yet. Remember, the [info]news posts are arrived at by consensus. I'm just glad LJ didn't turn out to be homophobic. That's one of the few things that would make me pack up and go ASAP.

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[info]rm
2008-03-18 03:13 am UTC (link)
Personally, I think the verdict is still out. The only thing I'm sure of is [info]marta isn't homophobic or incompetent and that the guy who changed the code back seems polite. Otherwise, I trust no one.

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[info]tsukinofaerii
2008-03-18 03:33 am UTC (link)
I trust [info]marta. She wouldn't lie to us and say "it was an accident" if it wasn't. For me, the question is what were they trying to do that caused this? It might not have been any more savory. :/

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[info]rm
2008-03-18 03:35 am UTC (link)
Well, yeah. I trust her to give us the truth as she's been given it. I'm not sure I trust her bosses to give her the truth.

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[info]tsukinofaerii
2008-03-18 03:48 am UTC (link)
Good point. ._.;;;;

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[info]thedeli
2008-03-18 03:31 am UTC (link)
Ummm um um um um. B U S T E D.

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(Anonymous)
2008-03-18 03:39 am UTC (link)
Try searching for spicy genocide
http://www.livejournal.com/interests.bml?int=spicy+genocide

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[info]rogerpittman
2008-03-18 03:42 am UTC (link)
That's because the word "genocide" is included. Using the term "Spicy" does yield search results. As [info]janinedog commented above, the specific interest search filter is still in effect, which is why you can't get results on "genocide". The Most Popular Interests filter is something else entirely.

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(Anonymous)
2008-03-18 04:32 am UTC (link)
So now let's look at the title of your entry:
LJ is no longer filtering interests, it seems

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[info]rogerpittman
2008-03-18 04:34 am UTC (link)
Very well, then, if you want to get specific. The post title has been altered accordingly.

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[info]belovedwarrior
2008-03-18 06:55 pm UTC (link)
How does this affect the strike?

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[info]rogerpittman
2008-03-18 07:04 pm UTC (link)
It doesn't, to my knowledge. The strike is in response to SUP's overall dealings with LiveJournal users, not just this issue in particular.

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