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Twitter United Kingdom Censorship Government

Anti-Porn Filters Stop Dominic Cummings Trending On Twitter (theguardian.com) 162

Posted by BeauHD from the naughty-sounding dept.
The Guardian reports that Twitter's anti-porn filters have blocked Dominic Cummings' name from trending on the platform, despite Boris Johnson's chief adviser dominating British political news for almost a week. From the report: As a result of the filtering, trending topics over the past five days have instead included a variety of misspellings of his name, including #cummnings, #dominiccummigs and #sackcummimgs, as well as his first name on its own, the hashtag #sackdom, and the place names Durham, County Durham and Barnard Castle. The filter also affects suggested hashtags, meaning users who tried to type #dominiccummings were instead presented with one of the misspelled variations to auto-complete, helping them trend instead. This sort of accidental filtering has gained a name in computer science: the Scunthorpe problem, so-called because of the Lincolnshire town's regular issues with such censorship.

Bizarrely, the shortened hashtag #cumgate has also trended, since the first word of the sentence is not included in Twitter's filter list, apparently in an attempt to avoid the Scunthorpe problem applying too broadly -- for instance, by blocking words such as "scum," "cumbersome" or "cumulative." Although Twitter does not publish the contents of the word filter list, users can check whether a particular term is blocked from trending by searching for it. By default, the site blocks all photo and video results from search terms it believes may contain sensitive content, meaning a media search for "porn" or "Cummings" will, unless the search filters are turned off, return zero results. Dominic Cummings is in the spotlight because he broke lockdown rules by making a 260-mile trip from London to the north of England, at the height of the coronavirus crisis after lockdown restrictions had been imposed.
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Anti-Porn Filters Stop Dominic Cummings Trending On Twitter More

Anti-Porn Filters Stop Dominic Cummings Trending On Twitter

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  • Maybe he should move to Scunthorpe.

  • Now maybe more people will see my e.e. contextual analysis tweets and get the likes they so justly deserve.

  • He has a svengali like grip on king Boris that is reminiscent of Wormtongue [wikipedia.org] from Lord of the Rings.

    We need a Gandalf to break the spell.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by HiThere ( 15173 )

      You're assuming that without him Boris would have redeeming qualities.

      • Well, the part time prime minister is a decent cyclist, there is that.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        Johnson can't fire Cummings because he is nothing without him, an also-ran buffoon who keeps getting sacked and having to rely on the Old Boys network to stay employed.

  • One of the funnier headlines I've seen here in a while. Cum on folks!

    Also, doesn't the UK use metric?

    Dominic Cummings is in the spotlight because he broke lockdown rules by making a 260-mile trip from London to the north of England, at the height of the coronavirus crisis after lockdown restrictions had been imposed.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

      No, UK uses imperial measurements. That's where US got it from.

      Metric is a norm on the continental Europe.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by redback ( 15527 )

        UK is like a weird mix of units.

        • tbh most places are a weird mix of units. Japan still uses tatami mats as a typical measure of room size, for example.

          • tbh most places are a weird mix of units. Japan still uses tatami mats as a typical measure of room size, for example.

            The British use 'togs' for something mattress related, I have no idea what a 'tog' is but it sure as hell seems to piss off the Welsh: https://youtu.be/Lmx1vMouUt8 [youtu.be]

        • It is, but the main use of metric measurements left revolve around the road transport system. The other one is liquid measure for milk and beer, though a large percentage of milk is sold by the litre not the pint. Ireland has shown that transitioning to metric on the roads is viable though.

      • Thanks for the info! I probably should have known that as a Canadian, but I assumed because Canada for the most part thinks in Metric that the UK would have too. (we use metric for most things, except things like a persons height and weight, at least my generation, my kids might think in meters and kilograms... ) I can sort of equate an inch to centimeters or a meter to feet, but I have zero natural understanding to things like a yard, an ounce, a ton or a mile etc

        Learned something!

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

          Didn't Canada's system come from the fact that Canada has a significant Francophone community that sourced much of its culture from France rather than UK in spite of the colonial status?

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by quenda ( 644621 )

            Didn't Canada's system come from the fact that Canada has a significant Francophone community

            Every country on Earth, bar Liberia, Burma, and the US, has gone metric for obvious reasons. Most are not French. ... actually, not just Earth. Mars probes are now exclusively metric :)

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

              I guess you don't know where SI system started from and why?

              • Re:lol (Score:4, Informative)

                by Mr. Dollar Ton ( 5495648 ) on Thursday May 28, 2020 @01:32AM (#60114018)

                The SI system started in 1960 from the previous standard, the MKS, as an effort of the General Conference on Weights and Measures (an international organization with a very wide membership) to coordinate and harmonize metric units used between the different fields of science, engineering and business.

                It is based on the previous standard, the MKS system, because most derived scientific and engineering units in wide use are defined "naturally" in its base terms.

                SI used to be based on physical "standards", but it was redefined in 2019 in terms, derived from basic physical constants that are independent of any physical object, like the fine structure constant, the speed of light, etc.

                Now, you have particle physics claiming that some of those are not actually constants and depend, for example, on the "energy scale" of the Universe in a particular point in space-time, but this isn't a big limitation outside of that field.

                • Re: (Score:2)

                  by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

                  This explains the problem. Go about a hundred and fifty years back from your starting point. Metric system is a French system that came in place of imperial units in the general rethinking of "everything" that was done during French revolution.

                  • Why should I go back hundreds of years? Let me remind you your own question, which you obviously forgot:

                    I guess you don't know where SI system started from and why?

                    I gave the answer to that - the development of SI began about 1948, and it became the international standard in 1960.

                    Metric system is a French system

                    The metric system isn't "a French system". You're confusing the French decimalized system, introduced in 1790, which became the basis of several metric systems, with one specific metric system. They are different beasts.

                    The metric system you think is "French", the MKS (metre-kilogram-secon

                    • Re: (Score:2)

                      by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

                      >the development of SI began about 1948

                      Except that of course, it didn't. It began well over a century before that. You're trying to play word games by pretending that "until we call it SI system, it didn't start getting created". Which is self-evidently wrong.

                      Word games of this type are unfortunately common for people who pick fights on internet, lose, and refuse to accept their loss. "But if I redefine this thing as something else, I can pretend I actually won".

                    • Except that of course, it didn't.

                      Kinda pointless to argue with someone who refuses to accept the obvious, long-established facts. No, buddy, neither the SI system, nor even the MKS is the French measurement system of 150 years ago, and no amount of pulling stuff out of your ass will make it so.

                      Have fun proving how "smart" you're to yourself.

            • The US is officially a metric country.

              I use whichever units piss off the other person the most. (It's all the same, give or take a conversion factor, to me.)

          • Canada does have a large french population, probably most notably in Quebec and New Brunswick. I had no idea that was the source of why we use metric for most things, though you are asking and not stating, so I couldn't answer that with any sort of authority.

            I assumed it had more to do with just modern times. Metric is great the way decimal is when it comes to converting between units. One Meter is 100 centimeters, the same way 1 Liter is 100 centiliters. Can convert between units using multiples of 10'

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

              French were basically the people who pushed metric system to replace imperial as a part of their revolutionary "rethink everything" project that was pushed during French Revolution. This happened during late 1700s and early 1800s, ending up in technical ratification by many other nations in late 1800s.

              Anglophone world mostly ratified relevant treaties, but even UK never fully implemented it. That's why I seem to recall that this particular tradition came from Francophone minority in Canada as opposed to Ang

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by fred911 ( 83970 )

          ''but I have zero natural understanding to things like a ... an ounce,''

          Wow even the stupidest kids on the west coast in the 80s knew there were 28 grams in an Oz, 7 grams a 1/4, 3.5 an 1/8th.. Wonder why that happened?

          • Well, I never did claim to be the smartest kid on the block...

            But it has a lot more to do with the fact that it's not common around here to talk in Ounces. I actually forgot that an ounce can refer to a mass and not just volume, and always get choked up when people talk about the fact that there are different types of fluid ounces. Quick google search reveals a thing called a US Fluid Ounce is equivalent to 29.573ml while a UK Fluid Ounce is equivalent to 28.413ml.

            Yes, I admit, I'm either uninformed or du

      • Re:lol (Score:5, Insightful)

        by malkavian ( 9512 ) on Thursday May 28, 2020 @12:41AM (#60113910)

        UK mainly uses Metric. It uses imperial for road measurements (miles), and oddly, for bodyweight (stones and pounds, though that's fading in favour of Kilos these days).
        It makes sense, as it's a far better system.

      • The US does not use imperial measurements, that's the UK. That's a silly myth.

        The US uses Standard units.

      • Metric is a norm on the continental Europe.

        I've been to quite a few places in Europe, never once seen anybody using a metric clock.

      • Although true we use a weird mix of unit of metric and imperial it's worth noting my kids in school don't seem to get taught imperial measurements anymore outside of miles.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

          What do they teach them to measure their weight in? Most British friends I'm still in contact with talk about pounds and stones.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by MrL0G1C ( 867445 )

        We very much use both metric and imperial, metric is mandated for food amounts and I'm glad it is, grams and litres are far easier units to use and compare than imperial.

        I'm guessing the hesitation about changing road units to metric is for several reasons

        1) The cost of changing all signs and road markings,
        2) MPH doesn't convert to KMPH nicely like 30MPH is 48.28KMPH
        3) 30 MPH speed limit is displayed as 30 but for a long period of time if this was converted to KMPH then it would have to be displayed as 48 K

      • The UK mostly used metric. Only a few holdouts are on imperial.

        The US doesn't use imperial measurements as the imperial system was established by the Weights and measures act of 1824 some near 50 years after their little rebellion so they aren't even as advanced as such a depreciated system.

        BTW, the US uses the US Customary Units system.

    • Also, doesn't the UK use metric?

      The US uses metric behind the scenes, then converts it every time to some funny customary units that are not quite the same as imperial measure. All because of social inertia. (and because we're important enough in the world that there are few consequences when we insist on silly things)

      • and because we're important enough in the world that there are few consequences when we insist on silly things

        Maybe the US uses the imperial system a lot domestically, but internationally the US companies are as metric as everyone else.

        My company buys stuff from the US and it is always quoted in SI units. The only products I'm aware of that still come in custom, US units are some timbers and various wood particle boards, but these are also more and more often available in sizes that are either cut to whole metric units, or round to metric measurements pretty well.

        • Newsflash, the US does not use the Imperial system and never has. It use some weird combination of none metric units.

    • We use metric in almost all things. The exceptions are roads and beer.

    • Re:lol (Score:5, Informative)

      by serviscope_minor ( 664417 ) on Thursday May 28, 2020 @03:31AM (#60114164) Journal

      Also, doesn't the UK use metric?

      We use both.

      Metric is used by industry and commerce. Culturally/historically we used imperial (old people tend to stick with that more). Anything that's common and human scale tends to be imperial while everything else tends to be metric. It's a really weird mix. for example:

      Geographic distances are in miles. Humans height is feet and inches. Industry uses metric. Conversation uses a bizarre and unholy mix combining millimetres (we've abandoned fractional inches and mil (formerly thou in American) now means millimeters), centimeters, inches, feet and meters. Yards are gone except as an inaccurate synonym for meters. Horses race in furlongs and a cricket pitch has 1 chain between the stumps. Rods/pole/perch comes up in pub quizzes.

      Human weight is in stones and pounds (never just pounds). Sometimes people use pounds for smallish intermediate weights. All other weight tends to be metric now. cwt has sadly vanished into obscurity. No one outside of industry cares enough about the difference between long tons, short tones and tonnes so "ton" is used meaning "heavy thing". Probably 100kg if pushed.

      Land area tends more to wards acres and hectares but hardly anyone really knows how big either of those is anyway.

      Petrol is sold in litres but efficiency is in miles per gallon becauseofcourseitis. Old recipes use FlOz, but they're not commonly use otherwise. All other volumes are in metric.

      Beer is in pints. British pints comprising of 20 British fluid ounces. Not 16 American ones.

      Temperature is Celsius unless you're a Boomer in which case human scale temperatures (e.g. weather, cooking) may still be in Fahrenheit, but everything sufficiently high or low is still Celsius. Sometimes new anchors mix F and C to embiggen the numbers and make something sound more extreme.

      Power is Watts except for cars and things someone wishes to compare to a car. Energy is usually kWh for some things, calories for food, equivalent tons of TNT for explosions. Perversely heaters are sold in kW, air conditioners in BTU (irritatingly with the per hour missing) for the heat transfer and Watts for the electric power draw.

      • Polls have shown most brexiteers want to restore imperial measurements because they won brexit, a large minor of them also want to go back to pounds, shillings and pence, which is frankly insanity. Then I'm probably one of the few programmers old enough to remember how it worked (extremely badly).

        • Polls have shown most brexiteers want to restore imperial measurements because they won brexit, a large minor of them also want to go back to pounds, shillings and pence, which is frankly insanity.

          That's mad except it would be hilarious to go back to old money just for the trollz and the lolz. It does go to show just how fucked up the reasons for Brexit truly are.

          Then I'm probably one of the few programmers old enough to remember how it worked (extremely badly).

          Way before my time! I am from the era when 5

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        There seems to be something of a division by age as well. We spent about an hour on Imperial units during my whole time at school, but some younger people who went into trades where Imperial is more common seem to use it.

        I've noticed that doctors use metric for height and weight which is handy because so I do.

        Some newspapers like to use Fahrenheit but I have noticed they are now often avoiding using it in headlines because it makes them look like they are for old people, and they desperately need new reader

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Niggle ( 68950 )

        My unit mix is even odder. I think of people's heights in feet and inches but weights in kilograms.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mark-t ( 151149 )

      Also, doesn't the UK use metric?

      Officially? Yes. Practically, they are really somewhere in between the rest the world and the USA. The UK pretty much exclusively uses Celsius for temperature, for example, but much of the signage on UK roads still refers to things in miles. At the rate they are actually moving to metric, I expect it will probably be another several generations before they are actually complete.

      • Interesting, actually that's closer to Canada than the impression I was getting from some of the other comments.

        We use Celsius for temperature, Kilometers for distance, Pounds for personal weight, Kilograms or grams for things like food measurement, Feet/Inches for personal height, Liters for gasoline. So, some differences, but a mix.

        Actually, and this probably has more to do with my Dad than anything else, as I don't normally work with tools around people my own age, I refer to things like wrench sizes in

  • Anytime people try to use filters we see news stories about how the filters fail. It's hard to perfectly filter.

    A while back I read about a newspaper that was using a filter to replace less "politically correct" words with their approved replacements, and supposedly their financial page ran some text like this:

    After months of red ink, $COMPANY_NAME is finally back in the African-American.

  • Here we go again, like the local council in Scunthorpe could send emails a few years ago. If we can't even get simple filters to use basic regex to filter out four-letter words from within real people and place names, AI doesn't stand a chance!

  • Anti-Porn Filters Stop Dominic Cumming on Twitter (Score:4, Funny)

    by MrKaos ( 858439 ) on Thursday May 28, 2020 @01:10AM (#60113976) Journal

    #cock blocked on twitter

  • It's probably just as well he wasn't going to Chorlton-cum-Hardy or Nether Wallop.

  • I ran across this issue about 15 years ago (give or take). I worked for an online music store. One of the products was "Peavey Triple XXX Head". A guitar amplifier head unit. It tripped just about every adult filter known to man.

  • 'Assassinate' got profanity filtered into 'buttbuttinate.'

  • Fuck Twitter, FaceBook and all the rest of those worthless assholes

  • Consider it camouflage. (Score:3)

    by h33t l4x0r ( 4107715 ) on Thursday May 28, 2020 @06:37AM (#60114450)
    The jackboots can't arrest you if you're invisible to their filters. My daughter feels a certain way about being named "Bukkake Pussywillow", but one day she'll thank me.

  • ...That's possibly the most hilarious news I've heard this week.

    I look forward to all wave of new people entering politics changing their names to 'James Dickbag' or 'Martha Cunt' to essentially 'game' the social mediaverse to avoid criticism.

  • Back in the stone age of social media, there was a breast cancer support forum on America Online (kids, ask your grandparents about AOL). Only they couldn't call it "breast cancer", because the AOL smut filters blocked use of the word "breast". Instead they had the "boob cancer" support forum.

  • "Dominic Cummings is in the spotlight because he broke lockdown rules by making a 260-mile trip from London to the north of England, at the height of the coronavirus crisis after lockdown restrictions had been imposed."

    I think they were Musings and Guidelines and "gee it would be nice if" and not actually "Rules" (whatever the hell that is -- presumably a Musing "gee it would be nice if" for slaves).

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