Citysearch Censors "Suck" "Blow" And "Sex" But "Oral Intercourse" Is OK

December 11, 2008 Baratunde Thurston

Look, I don't spend my time testing the language filters of user review sites. I was actually playing with Facebook Connect to see what it was capable of. Citysearch has a beta site where you can log in with your Facebook account, so I did.

I wanted to see how Citysearch interacted with my Facebook profile. What I found instead was an overly rigid, nonsensical and outdated language filtering policy.

Step 1: Write movie review

Testing Facebook Connect On Citysearch Beta

Step 2: Have review blocked for use of the word "suck" despite the fact that I was saying nice things about the movie

Citysearch Doesn't Let You Say The Word "Suck" In A Review

Step 3: Test the system by replacing "suck" with "blow"

Citysearch Doesn't Let You Use The Word "Blow" In A Review

Step 4: Find out how far Citysearch is willing to go in suppressing my expression. Try replacing "blow" with "perform oral sex" ...only to have "sex" blocked

Citysearch Doesn't Let You Use The Word "Sex" In A Review

Step 5: Success!! Scientific descriptions are OK. "Perform Oral Intercourse" is acceptable to Citysearch.

But Citysearch DOES Let You Use The Phrase "Perform Oral Intercourse"

Step 1: Write movie review

Step 2: Have review blocked for use of the word "suck" despite the fact that I was saying nice things about the movie

Step 3: Test the system by replacing "suck" with "blow"

Step 4: Find out how far Citysearch is willing to go in suppressing my expression. Try replacing "blow" with "perform oral sex" ...only to have "sex" blocked

Step 5: Success!! Scientific descriptions are OK. "Perform Oral Intercourse" is acceptable to Citysearch.

Step 6: Make sweeping conclusion. So what's the lesson in all this? Fuck Citysearch.