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Censorship Microsoft Your Rights Online

Zune HD Twitter App Censors Tweets For You! 155

Posted by CmdrTaco from the now-that's-service dept.
SharpFang writes "The new Zune HD Twitter app censors naughty words out of tweets in your timeline. Sure, it's a free app, but this kind of active content censorship just rubs me the wrong way."
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Zune HD Twitter App Censors Tweets For You! More

Zune HD Twitter App Censors Tweets For You!

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  • Ugh... (Score:4, Funny)

    by Kc_spot ( 1677970 ) <imwd@mehopper.gmail@com> on Thursday December 17, 2009 @12:31PM (#30474742) Journal
    I hate these f****** people always f******* censoring anything they can get their f****** hands on!!!!

  • Option (Score:5, Insightful)

    by rocket97 ( 565016 ) on Thursday December 17, 2009 @12:31PM (#30474752)
    It should be an option, not a requirement.

    • Re:Option (Score:4, Funny)

      by sys.stdout.write ( 1551563 ) on Thursday December 17, 2009 @12:42PM (#30474922)

      It should be an option, not a requirement.

      An option that turns on during Friday and Saturday nights so drunken texts to professors are less likely to get you kicked out of school.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by sunderland56 ( 621843 )
      Should be, but isn't. Clearly the people who write software for a Zune are not rocket scientists in the first place, right?

      TFA also complains that the app is slow. Well, if you're searching all text input for a dictionary of naughty words on a underpowered embedded CPU, the fact that it turns out slow is not a surprise.

    • And not even the default option. If you're subscribing to a specific twit, you shouldn't be surprised by their language.

      I don't expect Highlight Magazine if I subscribe to Hustler, why should twitter be any different?

    • If it was an option that was off by default then most people would never use it. And that isn't what the people who implemented it want.

      They want censorship to be the default so that most people never turn it off. There is very little in the way of "good intentions" behind features like this. You're witnessing the views and mores of a few being forced upon thousands^H^H^Hhundreds of others using Zunes. So much for private industry looking out for freedom of speech.

    • I know slashdotters will whine about censorship but the reality is this will make twitter far more useful. Once it's implemented in reverse, that is: twitter will be far more entertaining when I can click a link and censor out all the tweets that lack colorful language.

    • It should be an option, not a requirement.

      "I'm gonna [Would you want the word "fucking" censored out from this tweet? Y/N] pee on your [Would you want the word "fucking" censored out from this tweet? Y/N] skull, you [Would you want the word "cocksucking" censored out from this tweet? Y/N] [Would you want the word "retard" censored out from this tweet? Y/N]!!"

  • Censorship rubs you the wrong way (Score:5, Funny)

    by BadAnalogyGuy ( 945258 ) <BadAnalogyGuy@gmail.com> on Thursday December 17, 2009 @12:31PM (#30474760)

    Your Zune usage rubs me the wrong way.

  • Is there no way to turn off the censoring then?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by alen ( 225700 )

      yes, get an iphone and use one of the twitter apps

      the article links to another article about Apple censorship but that is from March. in the meantime iPhone OS 3 shipped and every time you install anything that might have a bad word you get a little pop up with a warning where you click OK unless you are a child and your parents censor your iphone/ipod touch

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by megamerican ( 1073936 )

      He's choosing to be censored, therefore it isn't censorship. He could easily use a different app or different platform and get his naughty words unmolested.

      This is a completely non-issue and a waste of time. These types of articles are rearing their heads more than usual lately.

    • All you have to do is "SKIP THE APP"

      For real? is this a news story?

  • Who cares? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by jamesl ( 106902 )

    ... but this kind of active content censorship just rubs me the wrong way.

    Then don't use it.

    • I think the submitter plans on not using it, and most likely submitted the story to inform others, should they wish to not use it as well.

      • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

        by azior ( 1302509 )

        I think the submitter plans on not using it, and most likely submitted the story to inform others, should they wish to not use it as well.

        I think the submitter should elaborate on what this "wrong" way of rubbing is. Just to inform other, should they wish to be rubbed in that way.

        I for one welcome our new wrong-rubbing overlords

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Efreet ( 246368 )

      Freedom of speech means sometimes being offended. The fact that some people are offended by four letter words doesn't mean you can't use them, but by the same rules the fact that you are offended when others write censoring software doesn't mean that they can't do that either.

      • I've never understood the commonly held implementation of censorship of profanity. "F*&%" is somehow better than "Fuck", though you can immediately tell what word I intended to use there, and lets face it, if it's a "protect the children" thing, your children have already heard that word and probably worse at school, on TV, or even just in passing in a public area.

        Besides, there are things far more disturbing that a few simple profanities. Look at "Guts" by Chuck Palahniuk.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Rary ( 566291 )

        The fact that some people are offended by four letter words doesn't mean you can't use them...

        And this software doesn't stop anyone from using them. It only stops those who don't want to read them from having to read them. Everyone gets what they want. Sounds like a win-win to me.

  • Censored Tweet (Score:5, Funny)

    by norminator ( 784674 ) on Thursday December 17, 2009 @12:32PM (#30474780)
    "This Zune HD isn't as good as the i*** T*****. I wish I could hook it up to my M** instead of my PC."

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Why do you want to hook it up to your mom rather than your computer?

    • Censorship makes me so mad that I'd like to find the guy that added it and <section censored> until he has to use a plunger to get the duck back.

  • Twitter is stupid anyway (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Alanonfire ( 1415379 ) on Thursday December 17, 2009 @12:34PM (#30474802)
    so who cares?

  • Beta? (Score:4, Funny)

    by Snarkalicious ( 1589343 ) on Thursday December 17, 2009 @12:37PM (#30474830)
    Perhaps in the near future it will be repurposed to filter out the stupid. I, for one, would blow Bill Gates if he could just do this and kill Twitter.

    • I, for one, would blow Bill Gates if he could just do this...

      Overlords love this kind of welcome.

    • Re:Beta? (Score:4, Funny)

      by CorporateSuit ( 1319461 ) on Thursday December 17, 2009 @01:57PM (#30475964)

      Perhaps in the near future it will be repurposed to filter out the stupid.

      I have a hostfile for that.

      twitter.com 127.0.0.1
      www.twitter.com 127.0.0.1
      myspace.com 127.0.0.1
      www.myspace.com 127.0.0.1
      facebook.com 127.0.0.1
      www.facebook.com 127.0.0.1
      youtube.com 127.0.0.1
      www.youtube.com 127.0.0.1
      digg.com 127.0.0.1
      www.digg.com 127.0.0.1

  • clbuttic case (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward

    This is a clbuttic case of censorship gone too far.

  • So the Zune HD can twit. Big deal - there's no WWAN so it's not like you can do it anywhere you want. And it's not like the only way to twit is via a Zune HD. If there's a need to twit 24/7 your every breath, poop, and pee, you'd have gotten a cellphone with that capability already (unless you don't do those things outside the range of WiFi networks).

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by JustOK ( 667959 )

      RT @tlhlngan

      So the Zune HD can twit. Big deal - there's no WWAN so it's not like you can do it anywhere you want. And it's not like the only way to twit is via a Zune HD. If there's a need to twit 24/7 your every breath, poop, and pee, you'd have gotten a cellphone with that capability already (unless you don't do those things outside the range of WiFi networks).

      --so true!

  • Joke time! (Score:5, Funny)

    by Monkeedude1212 ( 1560403 ) on Thursday December 17, 2009 @12:40PM (#30474882) Journal

    What do you call 1 million censored tweets?

    A good start!

    Hey-o!

  • Language bias? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by harmonise ( 1484057 ) on Thursday December 17, 2009 @12:41PM (#30474890)

    Naughty words in which language? Only English?

    • You do realize that Doctorow used to earn a living as a sysadmin, don't you? Or did I miss something about Ms. Ray working in a technical capacity for General Electric?

      • Seriously? How long did that last. There were so many technical errors in Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town that I cringed whenever I read the bits where he pretended to know about networking. A shame, because the other plot line was quite good.

      • She can adjust my thermostat any time.

        "I'd buy that for a dollar !"

  • Bastards. (Score:3, Funny)

    by blcamp ( 211756 ) on Thursday December 17, 2009 @12:42PM (#30474914) Homepage

    Stupid fucking disrespecting-my-goddamn-freedom-of-speech assholes.

    • Watch you fucking language! Jesus H. Motherfucking Chist! It's like you were raised in some kind of god damned shit-hole of a barn! Learn some fucking manners!

  • Know what rubs me the wrong way? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by mea37 ( 1201159 ) on Thursday December 17, 2009 @12:44PM (#30474950)

    When the submitter plagiarizes from TFA, that rubs me the wrong way. Quoting the article is one thing; changing a pronoun from "us" to "me" so that the quote reads as your voice is obnoxious.

    I think TFA's use of the word "censor" here is borderline; the zune app is not the means of publication. That said, if there's really no option to turn this feature off, then it's not an app I would use.

    • I just copypasted the original directly, hoping the editors will wrap it up somehow. Seems they did some editing...

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by mea37 ( 1201159 )

        Fair enough. I guess I should've realized the editors might be trying to add value again; I'm just so used to them doing nothing at all that I hadn't considered they might be making matters worse.

  • ...it's a paid placement

  • Wow terrible... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Ractive ( 679038 ) on Thursday December 17, 2009 @12:48PM (#30475020) Homepage
    This would greatly affect all 3 users of this Zune thing.
  • Half of /. content would be gone!

    • Half of /. content would be gone!

      You say this like this like it would be a bad thing.

      There is a case to be made for self-censorship on the net.

      Your every tweet probably shouldn't read to your boss like a scribble on the men's room wall.

  • ...but this kind of active content censorship just rubs me the wrong way.

    That's the point! We must make sure that NOBODY rubs ANYBODY in ANYWAY!!! Unchecked, uncensored free instant communication could lead to things like "flash orgies", or worse, real cock fights! (there's your disturbing mental image for the day)

    Trust us, this is for your own good...

    and because this is /. I have to say, just kidding, and that is depressing.

  • But we really want to know what it does with WTF.

  • All 7 Zune owners are up in arms!

  • Some people voluntarily downloading an app to censor their private viewing to their own tastes rubs you the wrong way?

    You have a fine future ahead in the political arena, son! It's full of people who go nuts at the thought that someone, somewhere, is doing something according to their own whims.

    Hey, I tease.

    Anyone do the "all $LOW_NUMBER Zune users" yet? As, I see they have. Carry on then, lads (and all $LOW_NUMBER of you ladies).

  • Oh (Score:2)

    by Derosian ( 943622 )
    Well isn't that nice.
  • Look, words like fuck, lesbian, belgium, and ******* might be offensive and/or degrading and might even cause psychological trauma in the viewer, but nothing can repair the damage done by censorship. It's like the abortion of spoken words. Where would we be today if not for the words spoken by the greats M**** T********, W*** R******, and ***** *************, let alone &!-679!+)1:5'6"%CARRIER LOST
  • I mean you can't watch youtube on it and I don't think Hulu works either. (Which is funny since given it's OLED it actually has a nice screen.)

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